Daydreamer
by Lolop Baobab
Summary: Daydreaming is my drug. It's a short-term dopamine pump stimulated by impossible stories or scenarios. It is an alley to escape the gritty and harsh reality. Ironically, the only thing I daydream about now is waking up in my house. (Fire Emblem: Three Houses, First Person Self-Insert)
1. Like the First Day of School

Daydreaming is my drug. It's a short-term dopamine pump stimulated by impossible stories or scenarios. It is an alley to escape the gritty and harsh reality. However, it doesn't fulfil you completely. There's always new possibilities to explore, new worlds to discover and new stories to create.

Ironically, the only thing I daydream about now is waking up in my house and going on with my boring life.

It's not that my new life is utter shit, but I much rather be enjoying the luxuries of the middle-class in a first world country. Anyway, there will always be people having it far worse than I; so I better get on with it.

I exit my room, located on the south-west side of the Garreg Mach Monastery, or something like that. I am actually scared of pronouncing it, as I may a full-on massacre of the English language. Or may I say the Fodlanese language, from -you name it— the continent of Fodlan. And yes, I know what you are thinking, how is it possible for this fantasy language to be exactly the same in all aspects to the English we know and love? I don't know. I have no fucking idea. I don't know where I am, or how I came here. It's clearly not the Earth, I don't even think I'm in the same universe I was born into. But that raises the question; if I really am in another universe, what is my purpose here? Was I brought here by something, or by a pure chance interdimensional portal? I don't know, and that worries me greatly.

Standing right next to my door, is this green-haired dude called Seteth. He did say he was going to give me a tour around here, but I wasn't expecting him to be waiting for me all morning by my door, weird.

"It is already past 12 Oscar, I expected you to have more self-control in your sleep. You have kept Lady Rhea waiting far too much time".

"Sorry Seteth, yesterday was a rough day…"

"That is no excuse. In the time you are attending this academy, I require you to be more diligent and organised."

"Okay, won't happen again."

"I certainly hope that will be the case. Regardless, we cannot afford to waste more time; I'm afraid you will have to explore the monastery by yourself. Lady Rhea wants to see you."

We start to make our way to the Audience Room, which is a long distance from my room. While I'm waking, I sense all the other students staring at me, which I find embarrassing, as if I'm not meant to be here. Well, it's not my fault I was transported here. I also contemplate just how big this monastery is. It's huge. I'm confident that this would be a very famous tourist attraction back in Earth.

We arrive to the Audience Room, and there she is, Lady Rhea. She is the reason why I'm here; I basically "saved" her life and as compensation she enrolled me in the academy.

Rhea seems to hear us coming in and turns towards us.

"Ah Oscar, you are here. How was your first night at the monastery?"

"Pretty good, maybe slept too much."

"As long as you are serious with your studies and missions, you may not worry about that. I wish that you enjoy your stay here as much as you can."

"Thank you, Rhea."

Seteth looks at me with a glance that could send me back to my universe.

"That would be Lady Rhea" he corrects.

"Oh sorry, Lady Rhea. I'm still learning about formalities, please pardon my mistakes."

"Do not worry Oscar, I am convinced you will learn soon enough."

"Sorry to interrupt Lady Rhea. But we must proceed to the class allocation" says Seteth still worried about the time.

"Class allocation?"

"Yes. In this Academy there are three classes; the Black Eagle house from the Empire of Adrestia, the Blue Lion house from the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and the Golden Deer house from the Leicester Alliance" explains Rhea.

From my back I see three students entering the room and walking towards us. A blonde guy in blue looking like he came straight from an old Disney movie, a white haired girl in red (what's up with the hair genetics in this place?), and a tanned guy in yellow.

"And I feel obliged to say that the Golden Deer is by far, the best house. Mostly because of its incredible leader, Claude von Riegan" says yellow guy, who I assume is Claude.

"I would not be so confident Claude. The mock battle is this month, and I have a feeling that you will not be the victor" says blue guy.

"I'm confident that you two are aware that the Black Eagles will emerge victorious" asserts white hair girl.

"There they are. Princess Edelgard from Adrestia, Prince Dimitri from Faerghus and Archduke Claude from the Leicester Alliance" explains Seteth.

"So Oscar, right? Your name certainly doesn't suggest that you are from Fodlan" asks Claude.

"Well my parents were immigrants, but they never told me from where."

"And where have you been raised?" asks Dimitri.

"My parents were merchants so, travelling through all of Fodlan was part of their jobs. Of course, I was always with them, so I've never been raised in a single place."

Disclaimer: I came up with all of that last night for this specific scenario.

A smile forms in Claude's face along with a glistening in his eyes.

"That does sound like an entertaining life. I bet you learned a lot about different cultures."

"You could say so."

"Ahem", interjects Seteth to take back control of the conversation "It's time you choose one house Oscar."

Argh. The pressure of making decisions makes me ill.

"I don't really have anything to help me decide, so I'm a bit lost."

"I assume that if you have lived all over Fodlan, that you don't have any allegiance to anything" asserts Dimitri.

"Exactly."

"Are you proficient with that sword?" interrupts Edelgard pointing to the sword on my lap.

"I wouldn't call it proficient; but I have used it before…"

"Excellent. The Black Eagle house is in need of a good swordsman; we only have Petra for now" continues Edelgard.

Well that sounds like an invitation to me.

"Cool. Then I'll join the Black Eagle house."

"Hey! You didn't give us time to convince him! That's not playing fair" exclaims Claude.

"Life is harsh Claude. First come, first served."

"First, the new professor and now the new student- You really have good persuasive skills Edelgard" says Dimitri.

"Well anyone with a good eye would choose the Black Eagle house. Isn't that right Oscar?" asks Edelgard .

"Wha-? I mean, yeah."

Well that was unexpected. I can already tell she is going to be a hard leader.

"That's enough squabbling for today. You are all dismissed" says Seteth.

Everyone starts walking away. And I'm left alone as I do not know what do now.

"Hey", I turn around and see Edelgard waiting by the entrance "Don't just stand there, we have things to do. Follow me."

We go down the staircase, and into the courtyard, which I already passed earlier with Seteth. She stops in front of a building with three big wooden doors.

"Here are the classes, ours is the one most to the right. Today is Sunday, so you are free to do what you prefer."

It's a bit strange to see all furniture and buildings made from wood when you have been raised in a plastic world.

"Interesting…" I comment

An awkward silence ensues. It seems that my ability to create an awkward atmosphere has not been lost in my journey to this place.

"Hey, Edelgard. So you are the future empress right?" I ask.

"That is correct."

"Do you want me to refer to you as your highness or something like that? I mean I am a commoner and you are the future-"

"No", she says while cutting me off "There is no need for that. I believe that in the academy we are all equal, no matter our lineage or crests."

"Okay, that's cool then."

I stare at her for 5 seconds waiting for her to say something, but to no avail. I quickly move my glance at her side to not seem like a creep. I look at her again for a short moment, and she is still staring at me with eyes that could penetrate the thickest of walls.

"Eh… do you know where to get something to eat?" I ask trying to break this staring contest

"You clearly lack assertiveness, which might be an inconvenience in battle."

What. The. Fuck

"Why do you say that?"

"You are unable to maintain a stare for five seconds. That indicates a lack of confidence in your actions. If that happens with a simple stare, then you will be easily overwhelmed in battle."

"Isn't that a little too much to assume based on the fact that I deviated my glance from you?"

"It very well may be. But I'm confident I'm in the right here."

I am so shocked by her cold-ass criticism that I cannot bring myself to respond.

"Your silence just confirms my point, which in turn means that we will have to train that out of you. Follow me."

"But the food…"

"Food can wait. We must train. Now."

I sigh in defeat and follow her once again.

She takes me to the arena, in the north-east of the monastery. There are a few people here. Dimitri (blue guy), a guy with a dark blue hair and a man-bun; and another short guy with light blue hair.

What is going on with the genetics of this place?

"Edelgard, glad to see you. I was just sparring with Caspar and Felix, care to join?" says Dimitri.

"Although I would certainly enjoy defeating you, I must ask you to train Oscar, the new student. I must be going now."

Did she really abandon me right now? I think I'm starting to regret my choice.

"Ah yes, I believe we already met a few minutes before. Tell me Oscar, you use a sword right?" asks Dimitri.

Dammit, I already see the cringe coming when they see I don't know shit about weapons.

"Yes but I don't think that my technique is very good."

"Seriously? How did you even enter the academy then?" says man-bun man.

"Well…"

"Felix, you should know better than talking to someone like that. We must remember that as nobles, we had privileged access to weapons and training that other people could only have dreamt of" asserts Dimitri.

Felix manages to let out a subtle "Tschh..." before returning to his training

"Yeah! Maybe he just kicks and punches through the enemies! Sometimes you don't need anything but your cold hard fists" exclaims Caspar while throwing a punch into the air.

"Sorry to disappoint; but I'm not the type of person to enter fights."

"That's probably for the better." Says a relieved Dimitri "Come on, let's spar."

I walk to the other side of the arena, where all the weapons are piled up against the wall.

"Get a practice sword. We don't want to get seriously injured outside of battle" remarks Dimitri.

I get the wooden sword, which I assume is the practice sword and handle it for a bit. It is of medium size, being around 70-80 cm long. It certainly isn't difficult to move but I don't really know how to use it.

"We will start with some basic moves. Try to attack me with it."

I try to make a horizontal slash to his right side with my right foot in front of the other. Dimitri easily blocks it with his lance.

"Too stiff. Your moves must be more fluent. Try letting your sword slide through the air instead of actively pushing it towards me."

I try again, this time loosening my hand. This time the attack loses too much strength, making me nearly drop the sword when Dimitri blocks it once again.

"You shouldn't let go of your sword that will get you killed. A good attack must be precise but elegant. You must direct the attack and give it the necessary strength, if you do that correctly the sword will finish the work for you."

"Alright, so basically I let the sword 'move by itself' right?"

"You are starting to get the idea. Come on, try again."

I repeat the attack once more with a firm grip, but this time I let the sword be moved by gravity. Although Dimitri blocks it easily, I felt that the sword had much more strength.

"Excellent. Now we will move to improving your body posture."

"You call that excellent? That's kid stuff. "

Oh shut up Felix.

"Felix, if you are not going to stop your bickering, I suggest you go away."

"Fine. I will wait till the mock battle to destroy you" he says while leaving the arena.

"Felix needs to learn some basic manners. He is the noble of House Fraldarius after all."

"House Fraldarius?"

"Yes one of the noble houses of the Kingdom of Faerghus, they are below House Gautier, in the northernmost part of the kingdom."

"I think have a lot of training and studying ahead of me." I say smiling, although I'm just faking my increasing anxiety.

"I can certainly help you with the training section."

"Alright."

I walk back and get in position for what's going to be a long day.

**After 4 hours:**

"Dimitri, sorry, but I'm too tired to continue" I say while panting like crazy.

"That is understandable. After all we've been training for 4 hours without stopping for a break."

I look through the door of the arena and see the sun going down.

"It's already dawn." I say

Suddenly, a deep monster-like sound comes straight from my stomach.

"That sounds like you are hungry, come on, let's get something to eat" says Dimitri.

We walk down the monastery into the canteen where other students are already eating.

"So how was your training?" says a voice behind me along with a hand touching my shoulder.

The suddenness of it makes me jump a bit, while also letting out a small "Ah!" Once regaining composure, I turn around to see that it was Edelgard, who is behind me in the queue.

"Edelgard, it was you. You nearly gave me a small heart attack."

Edelgard smirks and says "Don't you think you are exaggerating? I only touched you on your shoulder."

"Sorry, I'm just a bit uneasy here. You know, I'm new here and I don't know what to expect."

"I do hope that you are braver in battle."

"Well, judging from my training today; I can confidently say that I can survive for at least five seconds." I say trying to lighten the mood.

"Good. At least you seem to have a sense of humour, let's continue talking in the table."

I get my plate of what seems to be a large piece of meat with boiled potatoes. I then sit down in a table with Edelgard and Dimitri, we are soon joined by a guy with orange hair and a girl with a hat

"So you must be the new student" says orange guy.

"Yes, Oscar is the name."

"I am Ferdinand von Aegir, future prime minister of the Empire."

"Well, I am Oscar. That's it."

"So you must be a commoner then?" says hat girl.

"Yep."

"That's magnificent! Now I am no longer the only commoner in the Black Eagle house! My name is Dorothea by the way."

"Ah, I thought I was the only one. It does feel good to have someone with a similar background as you" I say relieved.

"Sorry to interject but Dorothea is one of Fodlan's most renowned opera singers." says Edelgard

"So I'm still the most average dude here." I say with visible disappointment in my face.

"That could be true, but don't be discouraged about it", says Dimitri "Regardless of your background Oscar; how did you enter the academy?"

"Well, I had no plans of entering a few days ago, but then I stumbled a group of bandits who were attacking a carriage. One of them was going to attack a woman which seemed defenceless, so I distracted him. He was annoyed by me, and decided to kill me first; but I managed to defeat him. Then I claimed his sword" I explain-

That is all true except the part that I was going somewhere before encountering the bandits. I was just there when I woke up; which seems very coincidental to be fair.

"Wait, how did you to defeat him? You have nearly no experience with weapons" asks Dimitri.

"I used unconventional tactics."

"Interesting, what did you do?" asks Edelgard, once again staring at me with those scary judgemental eyes.

"I rather not say it right now."

"Why not? There's nothing to hide. Come on, please" pleads Dorothea with puppy eyes which are strangely effective.

"Don't worry if it's too bloody. I, Ferdinand von Aegir, can resist even the most horrifying of-"

"I kicked him in the balls" I said with the straightest face I could manage without bursting out laughing.

Ferdinand immediately gags with his own drink and start coughing.

"Maybe we should have listened to you and kept quiet" says Dorothea with a face that clearly shows regret.

"Well it was a life or death situation, and I do not have the sufficient honour to have a fair combat; especially against a bandit."

I sip my drink and notice that Edelgard is still looking at me, judging my every move.

"Anyway he was finished by the lady I talked about you before, who was none other than Lady Rhea, and so I was invited here by her" I continue.

"So you saved Lady Rhea's life?!" asks a shocked Dimitri.

"Well, now that I think about it, I'm sure she could have killed him without my help…"

"Although that might have been the case, she still invited you, so she must have seen something within you" asserts Edelgard

"That might be the nicest thing you have said to me since we met Edelgard" I say with a smile in my face.

"I'm not _that_ cold" says Edelgard

"Whatever you say", I say smirking "Anyway I'm gonna start eating"

I look at my plate, and without being able to control myself, I start devouring it.

"Woah, what meat is this?" I ask.

"That is bear meat" remarks Dimitri

"Well, I must say that bear meat is delicious!" I exclaim before returning to my plate.

Hmm, bear meat, of what does that remind me of?

Ah, yeah, of course. It reminds me of Fire Emblem: Awakening, when Lissa didn't want to eat bear meat.

I haven't played Fire Emblem since Fates came out. I wonder if they were going to launch another game.

Wait… they _were_ going to launch another game, I saw the trailer like a year ago in the E3. There was a war between three kingdoms or something. One of them was led by a girl with white hair…

I look in front of me, and see Edelgard, a girl with white hair, now eating from her plate.

No. Fucking. Way

I look around the canteen to see the other students. The medieval setting, the magic, the strange hair colours….

I'm in a Fire Emblem game.

Woah.

* * *

**So this is my first attempt at writing fanfiction. A few things to say:**

**1\. This chapter may be changed, please do not be afraid of giving criticism of it**

**2\. A lot of dialogue, maybe too much; I will try to be more descriptive in the upcoming chapters. I also struggle with making dialogue more descriptive and egaging, so any tips in that regard would be greatly appreciated.**

**3\. Oscar is Hispanic but with no confirmed nationality (will probably stay that way all the story) , and for those who know about MBTI; he is an INFP.**

**So that's all. Thanks to everyone reading this story and hopefully reviewing it.**


	2. Universal Clichés

"Hey, are you alright?"

I'm in a videogame. I'm in a freaking videogame. How did this happen? Is this a simulation? Is this real?

"Do you need help?"

Why am I here? Who sent me here? Am I going to die here?

"Oscar."

I feel a hand touch my shoulder which makes me snap out of my thoughts. It's Dimitri with a very concerned face. Not only him; Dorothea, Ferdinand and Edelgard also seem worried about me. They must have noticed me freaking out.

"Oscar is there something wrong?" asks Dimitri.

What do I say without looking suspicious? Wait, I have an idea.

"Did you say this was… bear meat? "I ask with a trembling voice.

"I did" responds Dimitri.

"My stomach doesn't… React well with bear meat. I need to go guys, sorry" I say before walking really fast out of the canteen.

After leaving the canteen, I start running towards my room which in reality is an extra space they give to visitors who stay at the monastery. It is past the greenhouse, in a corner touching the walls of the monastery.

I enter my room and subsequently close the door as fast as possible. Then I sit down in my bed, alone with my thoughts.

That was really embarrassing, but at least I hope it was credible enough. Anyway, there are much more important things I should be worrying about right now.

Let's do a quick recap.

So, I'm in a Fire Emblem videogame, that props up many questions.

How the fuck did I get here?

I already had two theories before knowing I was in the Fire Emblem universe. Either I was transported by a powerful entity or person; or I ended up here by accidental interdimensional travel (if that makes sense). Now that I know that I'm in a videogame, a third possibility opens up: this could be all a very realistic simulation. That would be the most "credible" possibility, I mean the chances that I'm in a different universe with the exact same characteristics as a videogame in my universe must be minimal. However, if I'm really, I'm in a simulation: what would be the purpose of it; and why would I be the test subject? Furthermore, have we humans achieved that level of technology yet? Too many questions, and no answers.

Maybe I'm dreaming, or in a coma. No, it can't be. People who have been in a coma don't experience a new life, they just kinda sleep. Besides, I don't remember having an accident.

That leads to another question: What was I doing before arriving here?

Well it was April, the 17th of April. My 18th birthday had just been two months before, and I was ending my high school studies. The last thing I remember is going to sleep; which might be the least helpful memory ever. Then I woke up here and helped Rhea defeat the bandits, which itself was very coincidental. She clearly is part of the storyline, and thus by meeting her, I was immediately thrusted into it. Therefore, the accidental interdimensional travel theory seems to lose ground; it would be too much of a coincidence.

That leaves us with two theories which I cannot prove nor disprove. Fuck, this might be the biggest existential crisis a human might have gone through. Whatever the truth is, I have the feeling that I'm not returning to my normal life anytime soon. I just wish I could have said goodbye to my family and friends, I already miss them.

I need to survive.

I don't care if this is real or not, I swear I will survive and return to Earth. My knowledge might give an advantage.

So how much do I know about this game?

If I remember correctly, the last thing I saw related to a new Fire Emblem game was a trailer in the 2018 E3. I do not remember the name (if there was one announced) and my knowledge of the plot is close to null.

I remember that there was a war in the trailer, but I don't know what they were fighting for. Edelgard was shown; I recognise her because of her white hair. Now that I think of it, maybe Claude and Dimitri were shown but I cannot verify that.

If there was a war in the trailer, and if this is really a Fire Emblem game; that means that a war will happen in the near future. In fact, I bet that it is going to be between the three houses; and in that the videogame there are three different paths to take. However, although that seems like the most logical possibility, there is no way to confirm it either

I did play both Awakening and Fates when they were released, but I can't seem to find anything in those games which might help me here.

Anyway, I'm too physically and mentally drained to continue thinking, might as well go to sleep.

**Next Day:**

The school bell rings and wakes me up. It is the Fire Emblem tune, which reminds me of my situation. I'm still here, in the monastery, in a videogame. I wish I didn't know about Fire Emblem; it would all be easier to handle.

Fuck, if I keep thinking this way, I will get depressed very soon. I might as well experience what this world has to offer me now that I'm here; but first I need to establish some rules and objectives for myself:

Don't get very attached to anyone. If this turns out to be a simulation, I would get emotionally destroyed

Train and study as much as you can. I want to stay alive, just in case. That means that I will need to know how to survive for when I eventually leave the academy

Try to find a way home. There were portals to different worlds in Awakening, why not here?

Now that I reflect on these, I know I'm not going to be able to follow rule N1. Yes, I may get emotionally destroyed but I prefer that to be an emotionless idiot throughout my life here. And there is still chance that this is real and not virtual. I've got to believe to maintain my mental sanity.

It's Monday, so classes start today. Let's see, Seteth told me that after the first bell of the day, which would take place at 7:00 AM; I would have 1 hour to get prepared. Therefore, at 8:00 AM I should be present in my class.

Okay, first things first, I'm going to take a shower because I smell like shit right now. Problem is, I don't know where the showers are. I suppose I should ask someone.

I open my door, only to be greeted by another person standing next to it. This time we have a wannabe Goth boy. Obviously, I got scared shitless.

"Ah!", I yelp while jumping backwards "Who… who are you?"

"I am sorry to have frightened you.", says goth boy with a smirk in his face "I am Hubert, Lady Edelgard's most trusted companion."

"Okay…. May I ask why you are here, at my room, without knocking?" I ask mildly annoyed.

"Oh, nothing in particular. I just wanted to let you know that if plan on harming Lady Edelgard in any way, I will make sure you don't live for the next day" asserts Hubert.

This place only seems to be getting stranger, I swear.

"Okay, first off. Why would I harm Edelgard? I think she would kill _me _before I could lay an arm on her. Second of all, why would I want to kill Edelgard? I'm not evil you know?" I exclaim.

"You seem to have misunderstood me. I am not saying that you are physically capable of seriously harming Lady Edelgard. This is just the standard procedure I have with everyone she makes an acquaintance of" explains Hubert.

"Okay…"

"Now if you excuse me" says Hubert before going away.

"Hey Hubert, wait" I shout before he leaves.

"Hm?" he mutters while turning to me.

"Do you know where the showers are?" I ask a bit embarrassed.

"I do. They are inside the arena, next to the training square" he responds.

That actually makes sense, it's like a gym.

"Okay, thanks" I say before heading to the arena.

So, after a nice cold (maybe too cold) shower, I put on a clean uniform and head off to the canteen to grab something for breakfast. It is a bit different from lunch and dinner, as instead of being a big single plate; the breakfast is a buffet.

I get some milk, an apple, some sausages, an egg, and some kind of bacon? I then sit down in an unoccupied end of a table, because I'm still embarrassed about yesterday's incident. I try my best to avoid eye contact with anyone. Unfortunately for me, an enormous guy with enormous muscles sits right next to me. He puts down his 8 full plates of food (no exaggeration) and starts eating. He doesn't seem to notice me.

"That's a lot of food" I comment.

I wouldn't normally start a conversation if someone else hasn't started it, but that amount of food needed explanation.

"Huh?" he says with his mouth full and turning towards me "Didn't notice you there"

"Yeah I could see that."

"The name's Raphael."

"Mine's Oscar."

"Well nice to meet you Oscar. Now, I've gotta start eating all this food if I wanna get to class in time."

I suppose I will leave him with his food, but I've eventually got to know how eating all of that is biologically possible.

I continue eating and start looking around the canteen. There a lot of students but it's pretty easy to notice who the playable characters are; they all have crazy hair colours or a very characteristic personality. The other students are average; I suppose there are exceptions, but that's what I can see right now. I wonder if some of these background students can enter the plot if I tweaked some things.

I finish eating my food and start walking towards the class. Just when I'm taking the corner out of the canteen, I stumble onto someone. Could this get anymore cliché? Seriously?

Once I regain control over my body, I look to see that I knocked a short girl with ginger hair.

"Ow" she says while trying to get up.

"Sorry, it was my fault" I say while lending her a hand, which she accepts.

"Oh no. It was totally my fault, I'm such a disaster" she asserts nervously.

"Don't worry about it, these things happen I suppose. Anyway, my name is Oscar"

"Annette."

"Okay cool, I've gotta go to class now. See ya."

I start walking to class once again, this time a bit annoyed. Since I've arrived here, I've only encountered myself in embarrassing situations. It's also liked the forces of this universe want me to meet all the characters and enter the plot; as much as I want to avoid them. It's a bit ridiculous and infuriating

I finally get to class, and it seems that I'm the second here. Standing near the teacher's desk is this man with blue hair wearing a sort of cape. Maybe it's the teacher.

"Hey" I say to catch his attention.

"Good morning" he responds.

"So, are you the teacher?" I ask.

He nods in agreement.

"Well, I'm Oscar. I came here yesterday."

"My name is Byleth."

This might be the quietest guy I've yet seen.

Hmm.

Quiet, blue hair, new professor, could he be?

"I see that you have already met Oscar Professor", says Edelgard now entering the class "I'm sure he has already informed you that he is a new student."

The Professor just nods again.

"Hey Edelgard" I greet her.

"Have you recovered from yesterday's incident?" she asks.

"Yesterday's what?" I ask in respond.

"Yes, you seemed to have a… problem with the bear meat."

"Oh yes the bear meat…. Let's say it wasn't a good night."

"I can definitely imagine" she says while smiling.

Does she find my mild suffering funny? Sigh. At least it seems that I wasn't suspicious.

I seat at the front row and wait for the class to prepare as other students start to come in. I recognise some of them such as Hubert, Ferdinand, Caspar and Dorothea. I eventually learn the names of the rest throughout the class. There is Petra, the purple hair girl with a tattoo on her face, Lindhart another green haired dude who spent most of the class sleeping; and Bernadetta, another purple hair girl who literally quivered when I looked at her for a second. These guys are a weird bunch, they make me feel far too normal in comparison; which is a bit worrying if I'm honest.

The class itself consisted mainly on strategy and battle technique. Apparently, a catapult launches furthest at a 45-degree angle. I also learned other things such as that is nearly always better to take the offensive on a battle and the different ranges you can use in a duel. It took me little to understand that this is basically maths and physics applied to war. Everything that is taught relates to motion, speed and power. However, what I found most interesting is how advanced they are. Fodlan itself seems to be in the medieval era, but their knowledge of physics, maths and biology seem to be far wider compared to our own medieval era.

The class stops for a lunch break around 1pm. I once again try to be alone, thus being able to organise my thoughts and plans. But once again, this isn't possible because these characters really want to talk to me for some reason. The levels of cliché are reaching unexplored amounts at the moment. This time is Caspar and Lindhart who sit next to me.

"Hey Oscar!" , unnecessarily shouts Caspar, who is right in front of me "What do you say to a little training after class? A fight between you and me!"

Oh no.

"You mean like a bare-knuckled fight?" I ask.

"Exactly! To see who is stronger!"

"I do not think that a fist fight can really determine the overall strength of a person" I comment.

"For all I know, anyone who wins a fight is stronger than who loses."

"That is flawed logic Caspar. A fight can also be determined by various external factors" interjects Lindhart.

Finally, someone with some common sense.

"Yeah you say that now, but then you never want to battle!" exclaims Caspar.

"That's because I have better things to do than wasting my time in a useless fight" comments Lindhart.

"You know, I kinda agree." I add.

"I bet that's because you are scared" says Caspar turning to me.

"Scared of what?" I ask.

"Of me giving you a feast of punches!"

"Yeah. You're wrong" I say mildly annoyed.

"I say you prove it in the arena!"

I look to Lindhart for support, who unsurprisingly enough, is sleeping.

"We will see Caspar. Just let me eat now" I say ending the conversation.

The lunch break eventually finishes, and so do the classes at 3pm. Once the bell rings, I search for Caspar who is talking to the professor about something. This my opportunity. I start walking-running out of the class while praying that Caspar doesn't see me.

Then I hear that high-pitched obnoxious voice.

"Hey Oscar!"

"Caspar" I say while looking at him with a dead glance.

"Do you think I forgot about our fight? Let's go!"

"Okay then…" I say in defeat.

We walk towards the arena where we take opposite sides.

"Okay Caspar, I will fight. Just don't hit too hard- "

I am interrupted by a punch which hits me square in my jaw. On the good side, it hurt way too much to be simulated, which relieves me a little. On the bad side, I am now considering incapacitating one of my own classmates.

Once I regain control of my body and vision, I look up to see Caspar with a big smile in his face.

That little son of a bitch.

…

"Oh my" says Mercedes while checking my and Caspar's face

Right now, I'm sitting on one of the benches surrounding the arena square with Caspar. Both of us with purple eyes and a swollen jawline.

"I swear I'm not this aggressive usually Mercedes. You just came in a bad moment", I say to defend myself "But to some people you can only talk with fists apparently"

"That's what I've been saying this whole time!" comments Caspar.

"Well I can't deny what's in front of me" I conclude.

"Does it hurt if I touch you here?" asks Mercedes while touching my chin.

"Yes. A lot"

"What I mean, is that sometimes people talk too much! If you wanna catch a bad guy, you cannot waste time! You've gotta fight him!" continues Caspar.

"At least you have good intentions", I sigh "But I don't really want to repeat this, so next time we just can spare with a practice sword or axe; or whatever you like. But not this again. Please."

"Okaaay, fine" says Caspar.

A silence ensues until Mercedes is done.

"And that's all I can do. Please don't hurt yourself again" she says with her comically soft voice.

Both Caspar and I nod.

"I will be going now. See you later" says Mercedes while leaving.

And there she goes away. More silence.

"You know what Caspar? What do you say to a friendly spar?" I ask

"Count me in!"

After some hours of training, I make sure to get first to the canteen for dinner, so I can eat quickly without being interrupted. Finally, this time I was successful. Once I finish, I make my way to the library.

Just by walking in, it is obvious to someone that the library is full of knowledge. Piles and piles of books can be seen stacked on the shelves.

With what should I start? Maybe I should familiarise myself with Fodlan and its surroundings. I've got to be able to know something about the continent if I'm going to live here.

"Looking for something?" says a familiar voice besides me.

It's Claude.

"Ah, hello Claude. Yes, I'm looking for a geography book" I respond.

"Well, you've got the atlas right there on the right shelf. There's also an interesting travelogue, although it doesn't give up too much information."

"Okay thanks."

I get an atlas titled, "Fodlan: Physical and Political Geography" by Johannes Almans. It is big, very big, with 200 pages twice the size of my hand. I open it and start reading it.

"Welcome dear reader, the atlas you are reading right now is the most modern and detailed copy yet. It was written by…"

Blablablablabla. Let's get to the real deal. I flip until the first chapter.

"_As you can appreciate on this map. Fodlan has the shape of a dragon's head, thus some geographic landscapes are named after it. For example, the mountain range dividing Fodlan from Almyra on its East frontier is known as Fodlan's Neck. Fodlan itself was created by the goddess Sothis…"_

So, the goddess is called Sothis. Maybe she brought me here. It also seems that they have not yet discovered tectonic plates and believe that he continent just magically appeared. Well, knowing that his is the Fire Emblem universe, and that there are goddesses here; it may very well be true.

My thoughts are disturbed by Claude sitting in front of me. His books are titled "Legends of the Goddess and the Saints". Good for him, I guess Fodlanese theology is quite interesting. Okay, let's return to my book.

"_Fodlan makes frontier with two nations. Sreng to the north, characterised by its cold deserts and weather and the vast Almyra to the East. The now extinct nation of Duscur used to be bordering the Kingdom at the north but is now controlled by House Kleiman who gained possession after the Tragedy of Duscur."_

The Tragedy of Duscur? Sounds bad.

"Hey Claude. Do you know what the Tragedy of Duscur was?"

"You don't know? Man, are you sure you weren't leaving in a cave all this time?" asks Claude.

"No… I was just… very secluded by my parents."

"Guess I'll have to explain it then", he says before closing his book "The Tragedy of Duscur was the massacre of the Faerghian royal family; allegedly committed by a rebellion led by leaders from Duscur. Only Dimitri survived."

"Wow…. I suppose they invaded Duscur after the rebellion then."

"Bullseye. However, the story seems a bit off."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I don't see a reason for the Duscurian to act so violently for no reason. Matter of fact, I've heard rumours that nobles from Faerghus and Adrestia were involved."

"So, they wanted to kill the royal family to usurp power?" I ask.

"Who knows? Politics are complicated and treacherous. But for all I know they are just rumours; I suggest you don't go around the monastery talking about it."

"I suppose it is a sensitive subject for all" I say ending the conversation.

Could this tragedy be connected to the start of the war? Could Dimitri start a crusade against the Empire, if it turns out they were behind it after all?

After an hour of intense reading, I decide that it's time to sleep. As I'm leaving my book, Claude turns to me.

"Before you go Oscar. You said before that your parents were immigrants, right?

Oh no, I better not mess up.

"Yes, but I never knew from where."

"How were they? I mean, physically" asks Claude.

"Well they were tanned, more or less like you and me."

"Hm. Interesting…" says Claude with an inquisitive face. He then turns it into a smile and says, "That's all I wanted to know."

"Okay then" I say while leaving to my room.

I have a bad feeling about this. Claude seems like a curious guy, maybe too curious, he may catch onto my lie too easily.

I walk down the stairs and into the courtyard near the classes, the Professor is closing the class doors. Has he really worked all day until now?

"Hey Professor" I greet.

He turns to see me and says, "Hi Oscar, what are you doing so late?"

"Yeah, I got distracted reading books at the library" I respond.

The Professor frowns and looks at me with concentration, he doesn't say anything.

"Em… do I have anything in my hair or something?" I ask.

My voice seems to make the Professor realize that he was staring for way too long.

"Sorry Oscar. I'm just tired" he apologizes.

"No problem. I'm going to sleep now. See ya" I say before returning to my room.

That was… interesting to say the least. I will have to confirm it, but it all indicates that the Professor is indeed the playable unit of the story. I may be wrong, but I have a strong gut feeling about this; moreover, I've heard he is also the new professor with nearly no background, which just seems to confirm my guess. If that's true maybe he has something to do with my appearance here and that's why he was looking at me so concentrated. Anyway, I'm gonna sleep now. Today was a long day.

The week goes on by normally, with me following a daily routine. Breakfast, class, lunch, class, training, dinner, library. In the meantime, I have gotten better with the sword, developing a kind of personal style. Caspar calls it "Slash and Punch". Basically, I use a sword for most of the fighting, but I also don't shy away from physical combat. I am fast and I've been doing weightlifting with Raphael, therefore I can deliver a quick punch or kick before the enemy counters. Obviously, my technique is lacking compared to the other students, but I like to think that I compensate with a bit of ingenuity. Nevertheless, I still get my ass kicked by guys like Dimitri who clearly have more experience.

My expeditions into the library have also given me valuable insight. I don't like to brag, but I would say that I've got Fodlan's geography pretty much covered. Now I'm reading on its history. On the downside, I've spent a lot of time either training or studying which means I haven't really socialized. I've only been with Caspar or Dimitri in training, and with Claude while in the library. I don't even know the names of most students. So, I decided that the next month I will be focusing more on knowing them as it can give me insight on why a war could start.

The day of the mock battle comes and all the Black Eagles (including me) are together to discuss strategy.

"The mock battle is about to commence." Says Edelgard with her usual stern face "As representatives of the Adrestian Empire, I expect to see all of you fighting with your full potential."

"Of course, I will. As the inheritor of the Aegir house and future prime minister, I must win this battle" asserts Ferdinand pumping his fist into the air dramatically.

"Remember Ferdie, it's not always about you" corrects Dorothea.

"May I stay out ple- please?" asks Bernadetta nervously.

"No" says Hubert coldly.

"Eeeeeeeeep" cries Bernadetta close to fainting.

"I've noticed that we are bigger than the other houses in student number. Is one of us not gonna fight? I mean, if one must, I volunteer. I'm clearly the least experienced" I ask trying to avoid making a fool of myself in battle.

"I will be staying out" says the Professor.

Fuck.

"It seems that you will be participating Oscar. I am certainly looking forward to seeing you in battle" says Edelgard while putting her finger on her lips and smirking. I've noticed she does that when she is interested on something.

I am so fucked.

"Thanks for putting your confidence in me. We will win this war" says Petra.

"I believe you mean battle Petra" corrects Lindhart.

Oh man the foreshadowing.

"The battle is about to begin! Let's go!" exclaims Caspar.

I just hope I'm not the first out .Please Sothis, give me strength, and technique, and intelligence, and maybe luck. Actually, I'm gonna need lots of luck.

* * *

**And that's the second chapter. Sorry for the wait but I had many things to do last week, hopefully I will be able to do a chapter a week from now onwards. Some things to say:**

**1.I'm trying to introduce all the characters but obviously I just can't introduce them all at once, but don't worry, they will appear eventually.**

**2\. As always criticism is welcomed and accepted, don't shy away.**

**3\. I would like to see some theories from you guys about why is Oscar in Fodlan, just out of curiosity. I actually have the whole story planned out **

**That's all for today, thanks for reading as always.**


	3. Mock Battle

"The rules of the mock battle are simple. If you are cornered off into a position that would mean your death, then you are eliminated. Furthermore, if you suffer a hit in either your head or neck, you will be automatically eliminated.", explains Seteth to the whole gathering of students in front of him "That is all. We can begin now."

The Black Eagles are allocated the southern portion of the battlefield, with the Golden Deer on our northwest and the Blue Lions on our northeast.

"Listen all. This is the formation the Professor gave us to follow. Get into your positions now" orders Edelgard.

I look at the strategy map Edelgard is holding and see my name on the frontlines. I am quite sure the Professor has seen me train before, so I don't understand why he would put _me_ on the frontlines.

Along with me there is Ferdinand on my right and Caspar on my left.

A trumpet sounds throughout the battlefield which means the mock battle has begun.

"Move forward!" shouts Edelgard.

I follow her orders and start walking steadily along with my line. I look up to see a dude with purple hair (and a horrible haircut) running towards us with a lance.

"Here they come" I alert Caspar and Ferdinand who brace themselves.

"Alright. Caspar and Oscar keep Lorenz at bay, I will keep going forward" says Ferdinand.

I turn to see Lorenz catching me by surprise as he attacks with a leap forward. I barely dodge it by throwing myself to the ground on my left, which leaves me in a vulnerable position. Fortunately, Caspar is able to reach Lorenz before the latter attacks me. Caspar tries to land a vertical blow with his axe, but Lorenz manages to block it and distance himself. I take advantage of the moment by getting up and thrusting my sword towards Lorenz hip; however, he reacts quickly by thrusting his lance at me before I can make contact. I adapt to the situation turning 90 degrees, thus dodging his attack. I notice that his lance is exposed so I grab with one hand and pulling strongly, making him lose his balance. This lets Caspar place his axe on Lorenz neck without any obstacle, thus eliminating him.

"I cannot believe I have been defeated so easily" sighs Lorenz while walking away.

I actually did it, I wasn't the first to be eliminated!

"Good one Oscar!" shouts Caspar.

I look ahead and see that our fellow Black Eagles have already advanced beyond us. Edelgard and Ferdinand just defeated the Blue Lions archer (Ashe was his name?) and Annette. However, Bernadetta was also eliminated in the fighting.

The rest of the Golden Deer meanwhile are nowhere to be seen, except Raphael who is standing alone in front of some bushes. Knowing Claude, they are probably behind the bushes waiting us to get near. Pretty obvious if you ask me. I thought Claude was a better strategist.

Caspar and I reunite with Edelgard and Ferdinand.

"Erm… where are the rest?" I ask.

"Bernadetta has been eliminated. Lindhart is staying behind in case we need him to heal. Dorothea and Hubert are waiting for you two" explains Edelgard.

What does she mean by "waiting for us two"?

"What are we supposed to then?" asks Caspar.

"Attack Raphael" responds Edelgard.

Is she serious? Are we really going to attack the obvious bait?

"Edelgard. Raphael is there as a bait, if we attack him- "

"I am aware" interrupts Edelgard.

So why then does she want us to…?

I see.

_We _are the bait.

"I think I understand you now. So, Dorothea and Hubert will attack them by surprise after they attack Caspar and I, right?" I deduce.

"Exactly. Ferdinand, Petra and I will deal with the Blue Lions meanwhile" explains Edelgard.

"Got it", I turn to Caspar "Okay, let's go."

Caspar and I start running towards Raphael who has some sort of gauntlets as his only weapons. I don't think those exist on Earth, or at least they weren't really used in wars.

Caspar reaches him first and swings his axe horizontally, but he is met by a punch in the chest which makes him fall back. I continue the attack by landing a vertical swing on his shoulder and swiftly jumping back. However, my satisfaction of being able to hit someone is rapidly cut off as I feel an arrow slightly pierce my right shoulder. There is barely any pain as the arrows aren't pointy enough, but it was far too close to my neck. I notice that a blonde archer with glasses, a girl with pink hair with an axe on our right and a girl with white hair on our left.

"Bring it on!" shouts Caspar before running straight towards blonde archer and pink hair axe girl.

Thus, Caspar leaves me alone with Raphael and white hair girl who attacks me with a dark spell which I barely manage to dodge. Immediately afterwards, Raphael tries to punch me in the face, but I duck under his arm and hit him horizontally in the leg with my sword, which has nearly no effect on him. Unfortunately, I am left completely exposed to white hair girl who sends me another magic attack aimed at my head. Unable to dodge it at time, I take the hit with my back, so I don't get eliminated.

Dark magic hurts in a very different way to normal attacks. Along with the pain, you feel your energy being taken out of your body. It leaves you exhausted for a few moments.

Dorothea and Hubert really need to save my ass right now.

Just like in a movie, the two mages come out from the bushes and ambush Raphael and white hair girl, both being hit in the head, thus being eliminated.

"Finally," I say relieved.

"Sorry about that, we needed to make sure nobody was left in the bushes if we wanted to catch them by surprise" explains Dorothea.

"Where is Caspar?" asks Hubert.

"Probably eliminated" I admit.

I turn to my right and see that my suspicions were true. Although Caspar managed to defeat the blonde archer; he himself fell to pink hair girl.

She seems to be distracted by something, it's my chance.

I start running towards, getting closer and closer, but just when I'm going to reach her an I feel a lance push me on my left arm, making me fall to my left.

Shit. They did the same bait tactic on me.

Just as I'm about to stand up, I am greeted by an arrow to my face. Tensed by none other than Claude, who is smirking at me. It seems that after all his strategy wasn't as simple as I thought.

The person with the lance was Leonie I only know her name because she harasses the Professor when she is not harassing the Professor's dad.

I leave the battlefield to the observer's platform where all the eliminated people already are, and where you have almost an eagle view of the battle. The Golden Deer are almost entirely wiped out, with only Claude and Leonie remaining. The Blue Lions also have got their fair share of losses, with only 4 standing; Dimitri, Dedue, Mercedes and Felix. The Black Eagles are majority, with 5 remaining. Hanneman and Manuela mutually eliminated each other.

I'm a bit disappointed of being eliminated that way but it's still better than what I expected. At least I'm confident that Edelgard will not kick me from the class.

I suddenly feel an extremely heavy pat on my shoulder, an action that can only be done by one person; Raphael.

"Hey Oscar, that was a good battle. You caught me off guard there" congratulates Raphael.

"Well I was lucky that my teammates came to the rescue, I don't believe that I could defeat you in a duel" I admit.

"Don't go humble on me! I mean, last week you couldn't even lift a sword!"

"I wasn't _that_ weak. But yeah, I get your point. Thanks man"

"When you feel like getting muscle, you know who to come"

"I gotcha" I say.

Raphael is probably one of the most normal people in this academy. He is like the epitome of bro culture. He is a cool guy.

I look to my side to see that a blonde girl with a very long braid is waiting to enter the conversation.

"Hi" I greet her.

"Oh, hi. I just wanted to introduce myself. I believe that we haven't talked yet. I'm Ingrid"

"I'm Oscar"

That braid is quite enormous, it reaches her freaking waist.

"So, you are the famous Oscar" she says

"Wait, famous?" I ask her incredulously.

"Yes. Your sword style is rumoured to be quite… interesting. People also talk about your mysterious background"

Nonononononono.

"I don't see anything special in neither my sword skills nor in my background, maybe you are confusing me with someone else"

"We will have to spar to see then. It was nice meeting you Oscar" says Ingrid before departing.

Okay so hear me out. Back in Earth I never attracted much attention, not that I searched for it. I just stuck to the sidelines. As far as I'm aware, my behaviour hasn't changed significantly since arriving here. So why does this fucking world seem so insistent in making me well-known to the fucking characters of this fucking videogame? Seriously. I already talked about this before, but it is really frustrating.

I don't want to get attached. I don't want to fight in a war, fuck that. I want to return home. Sure, it's fun here and is certainly an extraordinary experience; I mean, not many people can say they travelled universes. But I don't want to die here and that means staying out of the plot. I want to see my family and I want to see my planet.

…

Oh, that's a trumpet. The battle is over. Please, tell me we won.

I look towards the battlefield to see Edelgard standing in front a fallen Dimitri. It looks like we won. Thank god, I didn't really wanna experience 2 hours of Edelgard explaining to us every little detail we did wrong in the battle. Now maybe we only get an hour.

"Hell yeah! We won!" shouts Caspar.

"Yep. We should reunite with our classmates. Let's go." I say.

Caspar, Bernadetta and I walk down to the battlefield to gather around Edelgard along with our fellow classmates.

"We took the victory. I hope that this will be the first one of many" says Edelgard triumphantly.

"With my talent and our teamwork, it was clear from the start that we would win" asserts Ferdinand proudly.

"I feel happy that the hunting was prosperous" adds Petra.

"Hunting?!" asks a quivering Bernadetta

"I'm just glad that I can go to sleep now. See you all later" admits Lindhart followed by a long yawn.

"Wait Lind, before you go" alerts Dorothea "I think we all should celebrate with a nice dinner. What do you think?"

You know, I kind of like the idea. I wanna relax a bit.

"Count me in" I say.

"And me!" adds Caspar

"I will gladly accept your offer" says Ferdinand

Immediately after hearing that, Dorothea looks at Ferdinand with a glance that could kill.

"I wasn't referring to you specifically" says Dorothea.

"I think we all should go. That includes you Bernadetta. Teambuilding is essential for winning battles" says Edelgard

"Nooooooo" laments the archer in defeat.

"I will look for the Professor to invite him" continues Edelgard.

"We shall meet at 7 at the gates of the monastery. Don't be late" orders Hubert.

Holy shit is this guy scary.

I eventually return to my room to take a hard-earned nap. I didn't mention this earlier, but we woke up at 6 in the morning for the battle, which I found horribly early.

I hop onto my bed and start to contemplate about my situation.

I've been here for one week now. Damn. It's not a lot but at the same time it is. I should keep a diary or something to keep track, or I'm going to lose the sense of time.

However, although I would prefer being back home; I cannot say that I hate this life. In fact, it's quite nice if we don't keep in mind all the multidimensional travel stuff. I'm like in Hogwarts basically. The students are a bit strange, but they are also nice people. I'm looking forward to tonight's dinner.

Anyway, that's enough thinking, time to sleep.

…

_Where am I?_

_I see, so this is our new subject._

_What shall we give him? _

…

_*Knock knock*_

Who is knocking at my door?

And what the hell was that dream?!

"Oscar are you there?" asks someone.

"A minute please."

I think I'm late. Dammit.

I put on new clothes and open the door to see Dorothea.

"What took you so long?" asks Dorothea.

"Is it already past 7?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"Indeed, it is. Were you sleeping?"

"Indeed, I was" I respond half-jokingly.

"I supposed so. You should feel glad that I managed to find your room, it is so hidden."

"Well at least I have one. Let's get moving, shall we?"

Dorothea and I walk up to the gate where everyone is waiting.

"You are late" reprimands Hubert coldly.

"Sorry guys. I couldn't control my sleep…" I admit.

"Doesn't matter. Come on let's go! I'm starving" pleads Caspar.

We start walking down the hill to Garreg Mach (the town). On the way the Professor talks to me.

"Hey Oscar. You did good this morning"

"You think so? I'm sure that with you the victory would have been easier…"

"That doesn't take merit out of your performance" responds the Professor.

"Thanks" is all I manage to respond. Shit, I feel my eyes watering. This guy is a good counsellor.

"Are you alright?" he asks preoccupied.

"Yes. It's just been a difficult week. You know, adapting and stuff" I respond.

"Well I'm glad that you are improving. I do have a special training prepared for you for the next month" he says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You will see."

Is he…? Smirking? Huh. So, he can express emotions after all.

We arrive to the restaurant, not that deviant from a normal restaurant back in Earth. The only difference is that they use fire magic to make fire, which I suppose is the most intuitive thing to do here.

Magic is so cool. Probably the coolest thing in this world. I don't have any idea of how it works and why; but I really do intend on learning. But first I've got to focus on the basics.

We seat on a long table on the restaurant terrace. I myself am seated on one end with Lindhart on my right and Edelgard in front of me. Obviously, she is accompanied by Hubert on her right.

"Well Edelgard. I think you owe me your gratitude for being the best bait there can be" I say with a pompous tone.

"And quite humble I see. Nevertheless, I will consider using you as bait again in future battles." she responds with a smirk.

"The scary thing is I don't know if you are joking or not. But I think I prefer to not know the truth. Ignorance is bliss".

"I disagree. Ignorance is for the uneducated" argues Lindhart.

"You may say that now, but you do not do one productive activity Lindhart. Only sleep. All day." interjects Hubert.

"Do you think so Hubert? I believe that my research in Crestology will be of great benefit for Fodlan in the future; besides, why do something you don't feel like doing?"

"Wait, wait, wait", I interrupt the conversation "Crestology? What's that?".

"Do you not know about crests?" asks Lindhart.

"I know what crests are. They are those symbols they put on flags, right?"

"Not that type of crests. I'm talking about the crest I or Edelgard carry inside us"

"Eh?"

"Seems that I will have to explain it to you" says Lindhart with an annoyed tone "Crests originated with the 10 elites and the 4 saints. From that point they were passed down their descendants, many of which are nobles now. They give extraordinary powers, especially in combat and healing." Explains Lindhart.

"Interesting… will read into that" I say.

Thank god crests don't exist In Earth. As if we didn't have enough stuff to divide ourselves. I'm sure that in 1000 years' time people will be fighting against "Crestism" or something like that.

"Your lack of knowledge about the world is… worrying to say the least" says Edelgard.

"I grew up rather secluded" I say.

"Yes, I believe you said that your parents were merchants and that you followed them all over Fódlan."

"Exactly. Growing up I didn't really know about the world I lived in. I just had fun travelling Fódlan. I never cared about politics and those things until now…" I assert.

"We all grew up in such different backgrounds, and yet here we all are having dinner together. Must be fate" says Edelgard.

"From a scientifically point of view, fate doesn't exist. We are all here because our actions led us here" argues Lindhart.

"You know Lindhart, two weeks ago I would have agreed with you. But right now, I believe in fate more than ever" I say.

"And here comes the food" alerts Hubert.

The waiter puts my plate of chicken with potatoes and vegetables in front of me. This is the most normal plate I could find on the menu.

After a delicious plate and a delicious chocolate mousse thingy dessert; we are all left full and start walking again towards the monastery up the valley. Night is fully upon us; it must be around 10. The starry sky makes me realize how little polluted this world is, which is a nice change. Maybe Earth exists in this universe in an alternate form. Maybe I didn't change universes and just came to this world through some sort of futuristic space travel. I mean, if the universe is infinite, there must be a world where the events of Fire Emblem are replicated. But that's a ridiculous theory, if this was a fanfiction, I wouldn't like that to be the explanation, sounds lazy.

"Still thinking about crests?" asks Edelgard now walking beside me.

"Not really" I respond.

"What were you thinking of then?"

"About how I would probably never see my fam- "

Oh nonononono. I messed up. Did she hear it?

"You will never see your family. Why? Are they…?"

Fuck, she heard it. Do I say they are dead? That could be the easiest way out, but I don't feel comfortable saying it. Fuck it, I will bluff my way out of this.

"No, they aren't dead. They just went very far away. To… Albinea I think it was called"

"To Albinea? Why?" asks a wide-eyed Edelgard.

"To trade duh. They are merchants after all. That's why I was alone when I encountered Lady Rhea"

"So where were you heading then?"

"To my uncle's place, in Ordelia territory. He is also an immigrant though"

"I see. Does he know that you are staying here?"

"Yep. Sent him a letter few days ago"

I think I've lied more in this conversation than I've have lied in all the rest of my life.

"What about you Edelgard? What were you thinking?"

"Nothing in particular."

"Oh, okay then"

Maybe I should push her to say something, but I feel that would be a wrong move to do. Bet she has many secrets. I must win her confidence first if I wanna know them.

Okay that sounded very sinister. Something that Hubert would say, which is a very bad thing. I need to remind myself that these guys are (hopefully) real people with their own lives. I cannot let myself think of them like characters in a game.

We continue walking in silence until we reach the monastery where I say good night to everyone and return to my room.

I think it's a good time to write my first entry:

_30/04/19 30/01 (Great Tree Moon)/80_

_Dear diary,_

_Today we had the mock battle…_

**Next day:**

I wake up early for the first time in forever and start preparing myself for the day. I take a shower and head off to the canteen. I sit on one of the edges of the table hoping that no character decides to get C support with me or something.

Okay, we are 5 minutes in, and we are good; I can relax. Yesterday had me thinking about my future. By building my fake backstory I realized that I literally have no family here and nowhere to return to after I graduate. Maybe I can ask Lady Rhea to stay here?

_*Thump*_

That sounded like someone sitting on the table.

I look in front of me and see Ingrid in front of me. Oh, for god's sake.

"Hey Oscar. I was thinking we could train together today"

"Ingrid, I feel that you overestimate my fighting skills. I'm not especially skilled. The training is going to be more like a class"

"Oh, come on, you did eliminate people in the mock battle. You can't be that bad"

"Okay I will train with you. But don't be disappointed."

…

And of course, that invitation to training ended up with me on the ground and Ingrid telling me that I'm really bad at fighting. Who would have guessed?

"Oscar you need to correct your posture. You leave too much space to hit you"

"I told you Ingrid. I am not good at fighting"

"I guess you were correct", says Ingrid while putting her lance away "But I still can't understand how you managed to not get eliminated immediately in the mock battle."

Ouch.

"My posture may be bad, but I gotta say that my reflexes are sharp. I can evade many things"

"So, you just ran away from duels and let your teammates do the work"

Double ouch.

"I mean if you put it that way… Hey! I didn't come here for a lecture. I told you I was bad, there is no need for you to repeat it…"

"I'm sorry Oscar. You are correct. There is nothing to gain from being negative."

"Don't worry about it, I'm not offended. You were telling the truth, I need to stand up against enemies, I can't just always stay on the defensive."

Just as I finish that sentence, the Professor enters the arena.

"Oh, Professor I forgot that you wanted to see me. Sorry" I apologize nervously.

"That can wait. We are having a meeting in class now"

"Okay then. See ya Ingrid."

I walk down to class where everybody was already.

Why am I always the last one?

"The mission for this month is defeating a group of bandits in the Red Canyon" says the Professor.

"The Red Canyon huh? There are many ruins in that zone" asserts Hubert.

"We finally get to fight in a real battle. Hell yeah!" exclaims Caspar.

"So, we will have to kill?" I ask.

"Probably, but the knights will be with us in case anything goes wrong" assures the Professor.

"Kill?! I think I will stay in my room, okay?" suggests Bernadetta.

I knew I would have to kill someone eventually, but not this early. I've never nor have intended to kill someone in my life; the furthest I've gone to is kicking that bandit in the balls. I don't feel very comfortable about this…

"That is all. You can return to what you were doing" says the Professor.

It's already evening and I'm hungry so I'm heading to the canteen. But just this time, I feel like talking to someone.

"Wanna go eat Caspar?" I ask him

"OK. Let's go" he responds, starting to walk.

We reach the canteen and get our plates of what I think is grilled fish and start eating.

Fuck, I cannot get the fact that I'm going to kill someone out of my head.

"Hey Caspar" I say in-between bites.

"What?" barely says Caspar with his mouth full of food.

"Are you OK with killing the bandits?" I ask him.

"Yeah. If we don't kill them first who knows what they could do."

"Fair point" I sigh.

He is correct, if I don't kill the bandits, they would kill me and anyone else standing on their way. But still, I don't think I will ever get used to killing.

Once I finish eating, I to the library like every day. Today's mission is learning about magic. I really wanna know how that works. Besides, I need to distract myself with something.

I arrive at the library and to my surprise Claude is not present. That's pretty weird, he usually stays until late reading. The only person beside me here is Lindhart, who is also always here at night.

"Hi Lindhart, what are you reading?" I ask him

"I'm researching crests. More specifically, I want to see if it's possible to remove or insert one into one person"

"Sounds interesting, but way too complicated. I will leave you with it then. I do have one question to ask you however"

"Which is?"

"Do you know a good introductory book to magic?"

"Of course, I know. The green book in that shelf is the one you are looking for" he says pointing behind me.

"Thanks."

I grab the book and sit on one of the tables. Let's see what we have here.

"_An Introduction to Magical Processes."_

I skip the introduction and start reading the first chapter.

_Chapter 1: Where does magic come from?_

_Magic originates from energy. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed; it passes from one form to another. Magic is just one form of energy._

So, they actually know about some of the laws of thermodynamics, holy cow are they advanced. On another note, this actually makes sense. I always thought that magic would be outside of the realm of science. But it seems that in this world it is quite the opposite to that.

_To "create" magic, the user must transfer his or her own energy into magical energy. This is done by deep meditation and visualisation. The user must concentrate, nullifying external sensations and visualise the magic spell in his or her head. Some magic spells are easier to cast than others. Only experienced mages who are capable to quickly enter a state of deep concentration and easily visualise complex pattern, can cast the most difficult of spells._

Sounds difficult and tedious for me. Maybe magic is not my thing.

Who am I kidding, nothing related to fighting is my thing unfortunately?

"Are you studying magic?" asks a voice in front of me; which of course, makes me jump.

It's that ginger hair girl who I knocked a few days ago. What was her name? Annie? No. Annette, that's it.

"Holy shi-. Please don't scare me like that Annette" I plead.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to" apologizes Annette.

"Don't worry, I just get scared very easily. Anyway, yes I'm studying magic."

"Great! How much do you know?" she says excitedly

"Close to nothing. I just started."

"Well, you've got to start somewhere! That's what my father used to say."

"What about you? Do you know how to cast magic?"

"Yes. I did study in a school of mages before coming here"

"Cool. How do you exactly, you know, do magic?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well here it says that you need to visualize the magic or something like that. So, do you do that?"

"You could say that. I just kind of think of what I want to cast. But there's much more to magic than that. I could teach you if you want" she offers.

"Although I appreciate the offer, I think I need to concentrate in my sword fighting. Maybe I will try it later on.", I say while closing the book "Anyway, I think I'm going sleep now. See you tomorrow."

"Bye!"

I exit the building and arrive at my room. After writing the daily entry in the diary, I prepare to sleep.

This day felt very normal, which is weird, keeping in mind that I was studying fucking magic minutes ago. I guess I'm adjusting to life here. It's incredible what the human mind goes through to adapt.

…

The days go by, and soon enough, two weeks have passed. Nothing interesting to note. There is around one week until we depart to the Red Canyon. And I am still very scared.

Ah the other update is that I know most if not all of the student names. I just kept asking Dimitri, Edelgard and Claude what were their names if I saw them pass; not that I actually interacted with them or anything. I do spend time with Caspar, Raphael, Ingrid and Annette; all of them for training purposes. But I gotta admit that they are a nice bunch.

Now I'm training with Dimitri and Felix; which basically means that I'm getting my ass kicked around. Not that Felix constant insults help at all.

"You call that an attack?" retorts Felix.

yOu cALl tHaT aN AtTack. Fucking annoying seriously.

"Come on let's try again" I say trying to ignore him.

This is the fourth consecutive time Dimitri has won against the two of us.

"For what? You are going to mess it up again" argues Felix.

"I'm not the only one getting defeated by Dimitri, you know?"

"That's because you keep slowing me down" he argues.

The argument is cut off by the Professor entering the Arena.

"Oscar, we need to go. Now."

"Now? O-Okay" I say shocked.

"Meet me at the gate."

I pack up my things quickly, grab a steel sword and a shield and head off to the gate, where once again I'm last to arrive.

"May I ask why are we heading to the Red Canyon now? The mission was not until next week" asks Ferdinand.

"Scouts have reported that the bandits are heading towards the town, we need to stop them before they cause any damage" explains Edelgard.

"Let us go" orders the Professor as we start walking out of Garreg Mach.

…

I am not prepared.

I am not prepared to fight. I am not prepared to kill. I am not prepared to die.

I may be over-exaggerating, but this is truly a terrifying sensation. In the Mock Battle I was scared but scared of embarrassing myself. Now I'm seriously scared.

Scared of losing my life.

* * *

**There goes the third chapter, sorry for the wait. As always, few things to mention:**

**1\. I just realized that Fódlan is spelled that way and not Fodlan. So sorry about that.**

**2\. I tried inventing my own laws of magic, however don't expect me to be 100% scientifically accurate when explaining it.**

**3\. This is more or less a filler chapter, and I feel it was too similar to the other chapters. I want to spice up life in the monastery; so I would like to hear suggestions from you guys.**

**4\. We have reached 49 followers and 28 favourties in 2 chapters, which is incredible. Thank you so much for supporting the story!**


	4. A Day for Prosperity

Garreg Mach is truly a magical place. Situated on top of a steep mountain, wanderers are left with a sense of awe when first seeing it. This isn't my first time seeing it from the distance, but I still have that tingling, that feeling of adventure, when I bestow my eyes upon it. Under it, there is Garreg Mach town, a small but vital settlement. I will be paying a visit to its tavern soon enough, after we finish this mission. I will probably need it.

As we walk west towards the Red Canyon, I cannot help but notice how beautiful the countryside is. It is a clear, sunny day; after all we are in May. Throughout my stay here I learned that the calendar here doesn't start in January but in April, or the Verdant Moon. That explains why a good chunk of the school year passes entirely over summer. And it does feel like the beginning of summer. You can feel the weak but fresh breeze, see the trees and flowers in full bloom, and enjoy the good temperatures. It must be around 23 degrees (Celsius), which is a temperature I feel very comfortable around. Reminds me of those lo-fi videos.

I must admit that it is very nice weather all around, which surprisingly relaxes me. You see, I'm very scared right now. Although we are accompanied by some knights, I am still scared. I believe that it is a rational fear, after all my experience with a sword is one month of training. But there is no other way around it. For one reason or another, I'm here in the middle of the plot of a videogame; if that can happen, then I can surely survive a battle with poorly trained bandits.

Talking about videogames. If you think that I have stopped worrying about how I came here and why, then you are completely wrong. Each night, for not saying each minute; I am constantly reminded that I am in another world; possibly simulated. And still, I just cannot believe that this is simulated. For each instance that passes the possibility of this being computerized diminishes. It just all too real. But what is exactly real? Well, that's a question for people way smarter than me. And about my promise to not get attached to anyone; I'm basically smashing it into little pieces. Let's face it, I've already spent a month with this people and I'm already starting to care for some of them. I cannot imagine how will I feel when I graduate in a year. There is also the fact that I'm 18 years old, still an easily impressable teenager, which means that I will inevitably develop a crush on someone. Yes, it's embarrassing to admit; but it's nevertheless the truth. So basically, I just gotta control what I can control, and that's is my survival. Hence my fear.

We've been walking for over 15 minutes now and I still don't know how much there is left for us to reach the Red Canyon. Judging from our supplies, it is probably a one-day trip. We left at 11:00 AM which leaves us a good amount of time to get rid of the bandits and return, especially if the bandits are also walking towards here. Oh wait, I do know where the Red Canyon is, I read it on that geography book. It was close to the monastery; I wouldn't give it more than a 2-3-hour ride. I also forgot to mention that we are riding horses. My horse also carries my personal supplies which include food, water, a shield, my sword and some potions. Not really unexpected, after all horses are the fastest transport here. Another thing that wasn't unexpected was my inaptitude to ride one of these things. I keep moving the horse side to side, as if it was drunk. There is also the fact that these horses are… weird. They have a lot of hair and very pointy ears. They look more like hairy donkeys honestly.

Holy shit is this horse difficult to control.

Nononono don't go there.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I'm going down!

_Thump_

"Ah shit" I quietly groan laying in the ground.

Ferdinand who was riding behind me quickly comes to my help.

"You seem to have problems riding your horse Oscar" analyses Ferdinand.

"You don't say" I answer sarcastically.

I sit again on the horse and fling the straps signalling the horse to start trotting. Nevertheless, the problem of the drunk trotting remains.

"Look at this!", I exclaim towards Ferdinand "It just goes wherever he wants to go!"

"Stop for a moment. Let me see" says Ferdinand, dismounting from his horse.

He comes near and starts to check the straps on the horse's face. I think he is plucking them or something?

"I see. They are too tight" he asserts.

Ferdinand proceeds to relax the straps, action that is followed by the horse letting out a strong wheeze.

"Sorry about that", I apologize to the horse "Thanks Ferdinand."

"No problem at all. This is my duty as a noble" he says while returning to his horse.

I once again gently kick the horse, who starts trotting straighter. Thank god, that's a problem solved. I should probably call this horse something as Seteth said that we would use the same one for all the year.

How about Zaggy? Cause he always trots in zigzag.

That might be one of the worst jokes I've ever made; but it is too late, now he is called Zaggy.

I pat Zaggy on his grey, white-spotted neck, and he lets out another wheeze. Looking at the other horses, Zaggy is definitely not the strongest nor fastest, and certainly not the most beautiful. He is like me, clumsy as hell.

As we ride, I start to notice that the horizon seems to be splitting, with a huge gap in the middle. It must be the Red Canyon. As we get closer, I am able to appreciate it more.

To my surprise, there is nothing red in the Red Canyon. In exchange, there are some very cool archaeological ruins that need immediate preservation. I mean, there is hardly something comparable in Earth to what I'm seeing right now.

Massive columns, staircases and walls are erected deep down in the canyon. You can see the remains of temples, plazas and houses. I wonder who lived here, they are kinda similar to Greek ruins but bigger in both size and amount.

We then ride down a path to enter fully into the canyon. As we descent, I remember that the Professor wanted me to do some special training; but I never did anything out of the ordinary. I better ask him.

I accelerate the pace until I'm at the Professor's side.

"Hey Professor. Remember that special training you told me about? You never brought it up again" I say.

"I do remember it, but I didn't see you prepare. Nevertheless, I now think that you are ready to start." he explains, still facing forward

"What do I have now that I didn't have at the start of the month?" I ask confused.

"Well, you seem more comfortable riding a horse right now" he asserts, still maintaining his blank face.

"Yeah, those first classes were… interesting, to say the least" I admit embarrassed.

I pause talking for a moment to think on what he just said. Does he want me to reclass me as a mounted unit?

As I look sideways to ask him, I notice that he has moved to the front of the group and is now signalling to halt.

"There they are" continues the Professor.

Wait who? Are there people living here?

…

Ah, the bandits. I forgot about the bandits.

I concentrate my sight onto the other end of the canyon, and see a group of people walking towards us, too far to count. I estimate around 15-20; which isn't that much. I mean, I thought this was a serious threat. I cannot comprehend why would they move towards Garreg Mach. Surely; they are not planning on attacking the Knights of Seiros by themselves?

To my relief, they are wearing little to no armour. Although we ourselves look to be wearing school uniforms; it is actually a special type of uniform with armour underneath. I don't know why they force us to wear uniform into freaking battle but then again, they have future rulers under their protection so I'm sure as hell that these clothes are quite decent at protecting our bodies.

"Listen up", says the Professor "I will be positioning you from left to right."

He takes out a paper from his bag and starts reading.

"I want Edelgard, Ferdinand and Oscar on the front. Petra, Dorothea, Caspar and Hubert five steps behind them respectively. Lindhart and Bernadetta behind the last three. As for me, I will be leading."

Why the hell would he put me in the frontline.? Does he want me dead?! Cause that how I end up dead.

I make eye contact with the Professor and he nods at me with a serious face that shows that he knows exactly what I'm thinking about.

As much as I hate my position, I know that the Professor knows much more than me about strategy, so I will trust him this time.

We leave our horses behind and get into our position. The Professor in front of us all.

As we march, I notice that this canyon is very different from canyons back on Earth. It is divided on what seems like floating islands, a geological marvel. Between some of the islands there are convenient bridges to pass through. Each time we pass a bridge I cannot help but look to my side to see that the canyon is way deeper than I thought, as you are unable to see the end. If I fall in there, I'm dead, very dead.

We walk for 10 minutes until the bandits finally notice us and get themselves into position. It seems that the battle is about to begin. While we are all gathered in only one island, they are dispersed in 2 different "islands". 6 on the island in front of us, which connects to another far bigger island to the north and to the east. 4 near the bridge of the east and 6 near the bridge of the north, where I assume the leader is. So, in total they are 16.

On the most distant island, a bandit, who I assume is the leader, lifts up his axe.

"You bloody Knights of Seiros don't know with who you are messing with. I will chop all of your heads!" he shouts.

"Let's go" calmly orders the Professor.

The Professor runs across the bridge, jumps, and swings a vertical hit onto the nearest swordsman. The swordsman falls to the ground, dead. I think that was a critical hit.

What am I supposed to do now?

I see Edelgard and Ferdinand running towards the bridge, which means that I should probably follow them.

Okay Oscar concentrate, any bad decision and you could be killed.

_Whoosh_

_Was that a fucking arrow? It passed near my neck. FUCK._

I cross the bridge to see Edelgard, Ferdinand and the Professor battling each a bandit.

I see. The frontline attacks the first bandit they see, and the guys behind us give us support.

I look ahead to see two bandits alone; an axeman running towards the Professor and the archer, quite separated from the fight. As much as I want to kill the archer, I must help the Professor.

But before I can move, I hear a voice behind me.

"Dispose of the archer. I will assist the Professor" says the distinctive voice of Hubert.

I then divert my path and start running straight towards the archer. The archer notices me and nervously tenses his bow.

Time to use my shield.

I cover my head with my shield and continue running.

Whoosh

That's one arrow on the shield. I continue running.

_Whoosh_

That one was shoot horribly, way too he right.

Now is my chance.

I uncover my face and see him only steps in front of me.

Here goes nothing.

…

I have pierced through his neck with my sword. Blood starts to come out of his mouth. He has his eyes wide open and stares at me profoundly.

"Who…" he manages to say before dying.

I try to remove my sword, but it's stuck inside his neck. I apply more force but end up cutting his neck open.

Fuck that's disgusting.

I really don't feel well. I think I'm gonna…

"Oscar" calls me Edelgard.

I look around and see that all the bandits in the area have been killed.

"I need you to stay alert now. You can vomit later"

"Okay…" I manage to mutter.

"There are two bridges. I need you to kill the bandits guarding the bridge on the right. Petra, Dorothea and Lindhart will be with you" explains Edelgard.

Without saying anything I start walking towards my right with Petra besides me, and the other two behind us.

If I didn't kill him, I would have died. If I don't kill them, I will die.

"Dorothea and Lindhart maybe you two can attack the closer guys without having crossed the bridge; and then we and Petra attack them while they are still recovering" I propose.

"Count on me" responds Dorothea while Lindhart just nods.

Petra and I run towards the bridge to catch the attention of the two axemen near it. They notice us and brace themselves for our attack. However, one of them is hit by a fireball and the other by a gust of wind. I take the opportunity by hitting the one most to the left with the shield, and then slashing his guts open. As he kneels down from the pain, I slash his neck halfway with my sword.

Okay. Where are the other guys?

…

And that's an arrow to my left shoulder. Holy shit it hurts. A lot. Movies really do not show how painful these are. I can hardly move.

I take the arrow off and blood starts spilling all over my arm. The sheer pain forces me to kneel, leaving me exposed to the archer who takes out a short sword and runs towards me. In the few seconds I have to defend myself, I manage to block his attack with my shield, but the force throws me completely down to the ground. The archer then tries to stab me on my shoulder, but I avoid it by rolling to my right.

That's when I notice that my head is no longer touching the ground; meaning that I'm too close to fall from the island.

"Help!" I shout with all my strength.

The archer starts walking towards me, but a gust of wind cuts through all his body.

I take the opportunity and slowly try to stand up. However, I am unable to tense my arm due to the injury the arrow caused me. Blood is also continuing to come out in a never-ending stream.

Lindhart then comes up and finishes the archer with another gust straight to his face, killing him instantly. The wind really does cut, as if they were thousands of mini knives coming straight towards you.

"Thanks, Lindhart"

Without saying anything, Lindhart casts a magic circle and light starts covering my injury. Slowly but steadily, the tissue repairs, making it seem like there was no injury to start with. Although I still feel pain, it is much more manageable now.

"That is all of them" asserts Petra.

I analyse the situation on the other front, which is positive. They seem to have killed 3 of the 6. However, the mage is making them waste too much time avoiding his attacks, so we will have to deal with him first.

"Petra", I turn to her "Let's deal with the mage. He hasn't noticed us yet."

I prepare myself to run at him as fast as I can, but Petra stops me.

"Oscar, wait please. The best way to hunt someone is by having stealthiness" she explains in broken English.

"You lead the way then" I answer silently.

Petra starts walking in a crouched position, and I try to imitate her. Meanwhile, Dorothea and Lindhart return to the main front to support from the back.

It is quite the distance between us and the mage, we will need around 15 seconds to reach him. It doesn't sound like much, but when you feel the adrenaline all over your body, each second feels like a minute.

Petra and I eventually make our way through the rocky terrain until we are 4-5 metres from the mage.

"We should wait until he starts to cast, that's when he is most vulnerable" I say remembering this month classes.

Not that much longer, the mage decides to start casting again.

It's show time.

I run towards the mage at full speed, but I lose balance halfway through. I start stumbling but I make a last-ditch effort and tackle the mage, making him fall with me. I make sure to get a hold of his legs (which is difficult due to his long robe) and wait for Petra to finish him off. Unfortunately for me, the mage starts casting a spell right in front of my face with his spare hands.

"Come on Petra, where are you" I mutter to myself

Just as I say that Petra comes and thrusts her sword on the back of his neck; covering my face in blood.

"Thanks" I say to her while standing up.

Just in time to see the Professor impale the leader of the bandits through his stomach.

"Damn you Knights of Seiros… and stupid princess…" he says before collapsing.

It's over. I survived. Holy shit.

Hold on, I think I'm gonna…

_Blurgh_

Well, that was disgusting. Doesn't help that the vomit mixed with the blood.

I look at myself, my shirt completely soaked in blood, sweat and vomit; with streams running towards my pants. I really want to take this out of me.

"That seems to be all of them. It is unfortunate, we had no choice but to kill them" says Edelgard.

I re-join the group who are in some sort of semicircle.

"What are we going to do with all these dead bodies?" I ask.

"Leave the dirty work to us!" says a voice behind us.

I turn to see the literal embodiment of the knight in shining armour. The voice comes from a middle-aged man in huge armour and a funny moustache.

"You did splendid out there! The knights are very proud of you" he exclaims enthusiastically

Ah yes, the knights. The guys who were supposed to enter if something went wrong. Well guess what, I was nearly killed and none of you saved me.

"May I ask what you intend to do with the dead bodies?" repeats Lindhart my question.

"That's only a matter of the Church of Seiros kid" responds the knight.

"We should return to Garreg Mach. Alois, it was nice to see you" says the Professor already walking towards our horses.

We walk away from the battlefield and start riding up the canyon. However, what Alois said cannot leave my mind. I'm not a conspiracy guy, but all of that confidentiality is a bit messed up. What are they gonna do with the bodies? Why won't they tell us?

"Feeling better?" asks the Professor, now riding alongside me

"You know, the first guy I killed hit me hard. But for the other deaths I saw, I didn't even flinch. It's a strange feeling honestly" I say concerned.

"I'm here if you need any help" he then starts riding ahead but turns to me for a moment "Ah, tomorrow at 6 you have training." he says while retaking his way.

So, I will finally see what that special training is all about. I suppose he is planning for me to become a more advanced class. I wonder what it will be.

I look to the sky to see that we are still in the afternoon, maybe 4-5PM. I'm not surprised, the battle was over fairly quickly, around 15 or 20 minutes.

I still cannot comprehend how I'm talking about this so casually.

I fucking killed a man.

But the most disgusting thing, is that I'm feel proud of myself. It's like his death was an achievement, a trophy. It's fucking disgusting; but I still cannot escape that pride of having contributed. Maybe it's how the world works here. This is seriously messing me up.

That archer had a whole life behind him, and I killed him almost instantly. And were his last words?

Who? His final word was who.

I didn't process it at the time, but now that I think about it; that's a really weird thing to say before dying. I mean, he knew who we were, or at least who the Knights of Seiros were. So why the confusion?

Argh, maybe I'm overthinking it too much. You know what? I'm going to the tavern after changing my clothes. Should I tag someone along? Nah, I think I will go alone.

In around two hour we are back at Garreg Mach, where I immediately change my clothes and give the bloody ones to the servants. I feel uncomfortable delegating my responsibilities to other people, but I'm in a school of spoiled nobles after all. Anyway, I'm going to the tavern.

I descend the mountain and arrive at Garreg Mach town. It isn't very big. I would say it has around 30 houses, 2 or 3 taverns, some shops and the restaurant.

Wait, are restaurants supposed to exist in medieval times? I do not recall learning that in History class. This place is so weird I swear.

The buildings are made of wood and have stone foundations. They are dispersed at the sides of a main cobblestone street. The town itself is surrounded by a big defensive wall. I guess the town was built after the monastery, for supplies and stuff like that.

Ah, there is the tavern. "The White Hare". Let's see what's inside

I open the door to see exactly what I expected to see. The bar at the left side with all the bottles stacked up to the wall and some tables on the right.

I sit at the bar and wait for the barman to arrive. What should I ask for? I know. Let's try some Fódlanese beer.

The barman returns from serving one of the tables. He is a blonde guy with a big long beard, basically a Viking.

"What ya' havin'?" he asks.

"Give me the best beer you got"

"Pint or mug"

"Mug"

Without saying anything else, he gets a big mug and puts beer from one barrel into it. He then strongly places it in front of me.

"That will be 9 gold coins" he explains.

Is that a lot? I don't know. But I have way more money than that. Like 400 coins, they gave it to us all at the beginning of the month. I suppose I'm a rich spoiled kid.

I give him the coins and he quickly go away to serve another guy who just arrived.

Let's try this beer.

Hmm, cold and tasty. I can tell that this is going to be a nice evening. What do I do after finishing drinking? Maybe I go check the library. I was thinking that there might be info on portals.

"Didn't expect you to see you here" says the man besides me at the bar.

It's none other than Claude, but in plain commoner clothes.

"Oh, Claude. Haven't seen you for a while." I say before taking another sip "I just came from dealing with the bandits at the Red Canyon. Thought I should relax."

"Ah right. Those bandits started walking towards, here right. That's why you went after them early" asserts Claude.

"Yeah, but I wonder why would they do that? They definitely wouldn't have much to do against the Knights of Seiros here."

"Some things may never be known" he concludes.

"Anyway, why are _you_ here? And why are you dressed like that?" I ask visibly confused.

"Oh, Mr Merchant is getting snobbish over here. Have you been talking to Lorenz lately?", he laughs "Now, seriously. I just wanted to come here without being judged"

"Judged?"

"Exactly like it sounds. Nobles and townsfolk do not normally get along with each other" he asserts.

The barman comes with another mug of beer and places it in front of Claude.

"That will be 7 coins"

Wait 7 coins? It's exactly the same beer! Damn, only one month here and I've already been ripped off.

"Oh god, I can see what you mean" I say defeated.

"Hm?" he asks while drinking.

"That same beer cost me 9 coins, not 7."

"Ha!" laughs Claude before continuing to drink.

There's a moment of silence as Claude visibly thinks about something.

"What did you say right now? God?"

Did I say God? There is a goddess here, not a god! Oh fuck.

"I said Goddess" I correct putting emphasis on the ending of the word.

"Did you?" he asks with a sceptical tone.

Oh no my bluff has been called. Time for Plan B.

"Well I said God, but I meant to say Goddess. I just talked too fast and ate part of the word" I explain.

"Right…"

That definitely didn't sound convincing. Sooner or later he is going to discover my lies. I need to distract him for now.

"How much do you bet that I can finish this beer in only one take?" I ask him.

"Are you seriously going to do that?" he asks incredulously.

"Yep"

"Alright. I bet the two coins that you payed extra"

"Deal" I say, shaking his hand.

Maybe this wasn't my finest idea, that's a lot of beer I have to chug down.

Sigh. Here goes nothing.

I start quite well, drinking the beer on a good pace, but by the halfway mark I start struggling.

"Come on Oscar. I believe in you!" exclaims Claude in an exaggerated tone.

It takes me 15 more seconds to finish the beer. I then slam it on the bar and let out a deep breath. Fuck my stomach is already killing me.

"You actually did it huh" comments Claude.

"Yeah. Maybe not the best idea"

"Well a deal is a deal. Your two gold coins", he says while passing me the negotiated amount "Come on. I will show you a cool place as an extra reward."

Claude finishes his own beer (which was already nearly finished) and signals me to follow him with his head. We go out of the tavern and out of the main street.

"Where are we exactly going?" I ask.

"You'll see"

We start climbing one side of a mountain perpendicular to Garreg Mach, much rockier with a sheerer cliff face. The climb nearly kills me, as I have a lot of beer within me at the moment. I don't know how Claude is handling it.

"Claude, come on. Let me rest please" I plead in an exhausted state.

"We are nearly there" he comments.

I climb two more rocks with my last bit of energy and see that we have reached the peak. In front of us there is the monastery in its full splendour. It's really big. The sunset in front of us only enhances the scenery.

"Wow" is all I can say.

"Well now you know this secret place. You may want to bring here someone special… if you know what I mean" mockingly suggests Claude.

"Yeah, don't think that will happen" I say coldly.

It's rule number 1, no attaching. Friendship is fine; romance is NOT.

"Oh, come on. There must be someone tingling your emotions" jokes Claude.

"It's only been one-month Claude. And with all the adapting to life here, I just cannot think about things like that" I explain.

"Relax. I'm just teasing you", comments Claude "Nonetheless, I will ask you this same question before… the ball" says Claude, with dramatic tension included.

"The ball?" I ask.

"Actually, it's the Grand Ball. Anyway, it's just a very big ball with all the students and staff. And of course, you need to dance"

Of all the Fire Emblem games, I of course ended in the one with a dancing scene. My bad luck is just fascinating at this point.

"When does that take place?" I ask.

"On the Ethereal Moon"

Well I don't know why I expected him to tell me the date in Earth months. I will check it out on the calendar.

"Okay then" I say, trying to sound like I know when that month is.

I then feel a rumbling in my stomach. I don't know if that's the beer or if I'm hungry.

"I feel we should go to eat to the canteen. Or at least climb down this mountain before I get tipsy and get myself killed" I propose.

We descend the mountain and start ascending the main entrance to the monastery. On the way there I certainly feel the mental effects of drinking too much alcohol on a very small amount of time. When we arrive on the gate Claude turns to me.

"I will pass on the dinner; I have things to do. Have fun in the canteen" he says smirking before leaving.

Aight let's go to the canteen.

I enter the canteen and get the plate for that night, which is mashed potatoes and some sort of meat pie. I search for a table to eat, but they are all nearly full as I arrived on peak time. However, I manage to see a gap in a corner which I'm not going to lose. I make my way towards the table and seat in a way that looked more like I was falling.

I start eating the food, unknowingly of with who I'm seated with. I don't really care, probably, non-plot important students.

"Em Oscar" says a voice.

"Hm?" I ask without taking my head from the plate.

"Are you okay?" asks the voice.

Okay who is this person

I look up and immediately recognise that super long braid. It's none other than Ingrid!

"Hey Ingrid. How you are doing?" I ask happily.

"Oscar. You have potatoes falling from your mouth."

"Oops sorry"

I get a tissue from the table and brutishly wipe the potato pieces. I then proceed to continue eating. While I'm eating, I hear Ingrid talking to other people, but I make no effort on listening.

"He is drunk" says another stupidly annoying voice who I very easily recognise as Felix.

Felix talking shit about me. I gotta defend myself.

"Hey, I'm not drunk. I'm just extra clumsy today" I explain.

"Sure" says Felix unconvinced.

"Well maybe I drank some beer. Not gonna lie" I admit.

I return to my food to see that I already ate my whole plate.

I stand up, get my plate and head off to the kitchen, but before I can start to walk, I am grabbed by someone.

"That is my plate Oscar" says Ingrid.

"Huh really? I thought all the plates belonged to the Church hahaha" I laugh.

There is a silence in the area until, yet another voice speaks out.

"Dedue, may you please accompany Oscar to his quarters?"

"As you please your Highness" says who I presume is Dedue.

I leave the table, forgetting about my plates; and leave the canteen to head off to my room. Problem is, the monastery seems much bigger and complicated right now.

"Um Dedue right?" I ask.

"Yes."

"I don't remember how to reach my room" I admit.

"Do you remember anything that might help us locate it?" asks Dedue.

"Yeah, it's near the greenhouse"

"Follow me."

I follow Dedue walking in zigzag until we reach the Greenhouse. After Dedue stops me from entering the greenhouse itself, he basically drags me to the door of my room.

"Thanks, Dedue" I gratefully express my gratitude.

I enter my room and collapse in my bed.

**Next Day:**

_Tan-tan-tan-tan-tan._

I never activated an alarm, what the fuck.

Ah, it's the school bell. I don't have my mobile phone here.

It must be 7 in the morning. And I have a hungover. Seriously what did that beer have? I am fairly experienced with alcohol; I usually don't get that drunk with a beer

I also don't remember exactly what happened yesterday. I remember eating, and then having a walk with Dedue. Of all the people I could have walked with, I walk with freaking Dedue? Why?

I made a fool out of myself, didn't I?

I leave my room and start walking towards the training grounds. I try my best to look normal, but my head is seriously having an internal earthquake and the wound from yesterdays arrow doesn't really help. On the way there I definitely notice people looking at me. Oh god what did I do?

I enter the shower rooms to be greeted by Felix who just finished putting his uniform back on.

"I knew you were horrible using a sword. But I wasn't aware that you were bad handling your drinking" says Felix.

"I don't have a problem controlling my drinking" I say back.

"Sure. So, I dreamt up what happened last night?" asks Felix sarcastically.

"What did I exactly do last night?" I ask in embarrassment.

"I will let Dimitri or Ingrid tell you that. This will be fun" says Felix before leaving.

"Hey! Wait!" I exclaim trying to stop him, but to no avail. Seems that I will have to find out the hard way.

I remember that Ingrid was in the canteen, but Dimitri? I don't have memories of spending time yesterday with Dimitri

After taking a shower, I have breakfast; alone and very embarrassed. I then go to class. Before entering class, I am greeted by Claude.

"So… what exactly happened last night?" asks Claude clearly holding his laugh.

"Weren't you in the library? How do you know?" I ask confused.

"A bird told me" responds Claude

"Oh no. What did I do?"

"Things drunk people do. Walk strangely, talk too much; that kind of things says Claude

"And who told you?" I ask scared of the answer.

"None other than Prince Dimitri." answers Claude

"Shit", I say way too embarrassed "That beer really had an effect on me."

"Maybe it was not only the beer…" implies Claude.

Wait, what?

"What do you mean?" I ask with a marked frown.

"I may have mixed your beer with… another, far stronger drink" admits Claude.

He what.

"So that's why you handled your beer so well.", I say frustrated "Well thanks for making the laugh stock of the whole monastery."

"Don't be so exaggerated. Not everybody knows. Besides, it was my revenge for lying to me" asserts Claude.

Oh no.

"I didn't lie to you" I defend myself.

"Come on Oscar, I know you are not from Fódlan. You can cut the lying now" accuses Claude.

Fuck. This is too early. Too early I say!

* * *

**Another chapter, another battle for Oscar. This was fun to write. Like always, a few things to say:**

**1\. I hope the battle scene is clear enough. Really struggled writing it. Criticism appreciated.**

**2\. Remember that nearly every detail matters.**

**3\. Although the story is pretty much planned out, I would like to hear from you guys what you want to see in the story. I will try to incorporate the ideas, if appropiate.**

**4\. Tried to pace this one slower, I know the last few chapters were a bit rushed. Let me know what you think about the pace in this one.**

**That's all for today. Like always, thank you guys so much for following and reviewing. See ya.**


	5. A Shocking Event

"I really don't know what you are talking about. But I have to go to class now" I nervously say to Claude before escaping the conversation.

1 month in and Claude has already caught onto my lies. At least the class will leave me time to prepare my defence. I feel as if I was Phoenix Wright.

Today we have strategy class. The Professor unwinds a map on one of the front tables and we all gather around it. He then places different coloured figurines to represent a battle.

"Today we will look at ambushes" explains the Professor.

I take a look at the map in front of me. The blue units (us) are passing through a path in the middle of a forest. The red units (enemy) are hiding in the forest, on both sides of the path. A textbook ambush.

"In this scenario, we would be surrounded by the enemy on both sides. However, before we get to look at how we can escape this; I want you to think of ways to prevent this happening" asks the Professor.

What do I say to Claude? That I'm from another universe?

"We could send scouts to investigate before entering the forest" suggests Edelgard.

Nah that's stupid. Not even him would believe that (although it is the truth).

"Good answer. Scouts are one of the most common methods of gathering information before entering a potentially dangerous area", explains the Professor "However they do pose an important problem in this scenario."

That means that whatever I say, it's going to be yet another lie.

"The lack of vision may slow down their job. And not only that, they could be easily killed by the enemy" asserts Ferdinand.

I think I'm just going to deny everything he says.

"You're right Ferdinand. So, what should we do instead?" asks the Professor.

I should probably say something before the Professor notices that I'm not listening.

"We should burn the forest down. Not the most environmentally friendly method, but it should clear the field and damage the enemy troops if lucky"

"And how do you suggest we do that?" inquires Edelgard.

"Magic? I don't know, it was only a guess."

"Hm. I suppose it could work" concludes Edelgard.

"Now let's look at how we can escape an ambush. Any suggestions; Bernadetta? Lindhart?" asks the Professor to the pair that never contribute.

"An ambush?! I would… run! Run for my life!" shouts Bernadetta.

"Your head would get chopped off instantly" asserts Hubert.

"What?! Please don't kill me!" says Bernadetta protecting herself with a book.

Why does she need to shout? Her voice got to be above 100 decibels at a minimum.

"Nobody is going to kill you Bernadetta. Please calm down" corrects Edelgard.

"We should attack the enemy with all our strength and break their formation!" exclaims Caspar.

"Have you forgotten that we have surrounded Caspar? If we concentrate our forces on one side, we leave ourselves exposed on the other side" explains Lindhart.

To be fair _it is_ a difficult question, I wouldn't really know what to do.

"In Brigid, commanders were the most defended. Perhaps this is similar but with Lady Edelgard" asserts Petra.

"So, you are saying that we should protect our leader?" I ask her.

"Yes" responds Petra.

"That could be a defensive approach", the Professor then carries away the map "I now want you to write a short essay on what approach we should follow in an ambush. That will be your task until lunch. Those who finish early may leave early."

Oh, come on, an essay? Damn, and I thought I was here to learn how to battle and little more.

I pick up a scroll of paper, ink, and a writing feather. The problem now is that I don't really know how to write with a feather. I've tried during last month, but it usually ends with a big patch of ink in the paper. Sigh. Let's try again.

What should I write? I don't know what to do in an ambush, we would be pretty screwed. I could write about Petra's idea, can be interesting.

Wait, I have an idea. What if we encircle ourselves with mages, and make those mages shoot fireballs towards the forest? Genius. Basically, my prevention plan but better. Let's do this.

After having to throw out two sheets of paper for covering of ink, I am the last to finish the essay; just before lunch. I hand out my essay to the Professor and head out.

Please, Claude, don't be a pain in the neck. Don't be waiting for me outside the class…

No one in sight. Thank god, but knowing Claude he will eventually interrogate me. At least I can eat in peace now. I follow the smell of cooked food and enter the canteen.

You know I think I'm forgetting about something, the conversation with Claude has taken entirely over my mind

I start queuing at the line and notice that two (average) students are laughing quietly. One girl with short brown hair and one guy with shaven blonde hair. I also observe that they are eyeing me occasionally. Are they laughing at me? Why?

…

Oh no. I forgot that I got drunk yesterday, damnit Claude, you told me that barely anyone noticed! Maybe they were seated near me last night. With who was I seated though? Both Claude mentioned Dimitri, then I remember having a walk with Dedue; then Felix also implied that both Ingrid and I were there. So, I basically seated with the Blue Lions? I hope that doesn't count as house treason.

"So, you actually decided to appear. You have guts, I'll give you that" says Felix behind me in the queue.

"Okay, Felix. Now it's a really good time to tell me what happened. You can laugh at me, but please tell me what happened" I plead while grabbing my plate.

"Fine.", says while grabbing his plate "You sat with us yesterday and made a fool out of yourself."

"And who is 'us'?" I ask.

"You really don't remember anything. It was Dimitri, Dedue, Ingrid and me"

"And what did I exactly do?" I ask scared.

"Your mouth spoke too much. You also didn't even finish your plate before Dedue had to escort you to your room."

"So it wasn't that bad", I say relieved "But I should probably apologize to them."

But that apology can wait for now. I am too embarrassed to even look them in the eyes.

I and Felix depart ways and I decide to seat with my fellow Black Eagles, who I hope don't know what happened.

Just after I seat, I notice that Caspar, who is in front of me, is covered in food.

"Did you eat too quickly Caspar?" I ask him mockingly.

"No... Today I had kitchen duty and I made a mess. Not that Annette helped at all" he says.

"Wait, kitchen duty?" I ask.

"Yeah. Haven't you seen the timetable?"

"What timetable?"

"Outside the classroom. It shows what we need to do for this month. I have kitchen duty every Monday."

"But I didn't see it there last month" I assert.

"Yeah, it wasn't there last month."

"Well, that's another thing to worry about. Not like I don't know how to cook, but my food isn't a delicacy, to say the least."

"Relax. We just help the cooks" says Caspar.

"Ah well, that's a relief. What other tasks are there?"

"A lot. Cooking, stable cleaning, flying patrol, weapon polishing … You only get assigned one or two each month, so it isn't that much" explains Caspar with a full mouth.

"Guess I should check it out."

I just hope that I can actually do what is required of me. Cooking doesn't sound so bad when you are expected to clean the stables. Better see it now than never.

I take advantage that the class is going to begin soon to leave the canteen and take a look at the duty timetable. Okay, let's see.

_Ignatz/Oscar Library Maintenance, Tuesdays 16:00._

I actually like my task. Maybe I can find some interesting books while cleaning the library. I just haven't talked to Ignatz, I don't know if he even knows me. In fact, except for Claude and maybe Raphael, I barely have had any interaction with the Golden Deer; therefore this is good news. You see, I better get along with everyone for two reasons. First, by talking to characters I gain valuable knowledge of the world; which may be plot-relevant, especially with the lords. Now that I think about it, I could use Claude to give me his plans for the future. Not that I think he would start a war, but underneath that easy-going façade there may be a darker person, a plot twist. I should tempt him with information for my origins and somehow make him talk about his plans for the future. The second reason consists of the fact I want to be able to ally with the nation that benefits me more in case war explodes. If I can gain the trust of their most important lords, then surely, I can gain their protection. That is my survival plan.

If Edelgard heard me say that she would probably kill me, but I don't feel any allegiance to the Empire, nor to the Kingdom or the Alliance. My goal is to survive and return to Earth.

Nothing else.

A Machiavellian plan, but a good plan, nonetheless. I've already killed people; this is nothing compared to that. I'm not hurting anyone; I'm just trying to find my way home.

Anyway, the class starts soon so I better return.

"Hey Oscar," says the most dreaded voice at the moment.

"What Claude?" I ask innocently while turning towards him.

"Don't you believe I'm going to let this pass" threatens Claude.

People can hear us here, shit. I better go somewhere more private.

I gesture to Claude to come with me towards the stairs going up to the training grounds.

"Was this your plan from the beginning? Was making me drunk also part of your plan? To make me spill my imaginary 'secrets'" I ask annoyed.

"I think you're overestimating me, Oscar. I didn't know you were lying from the start, but your story just didn't add up" says Claude.

"I'm not lying Claude. I'm from Fódlan. I will admit that there are details I left out, but I'm not lying. They are also none of your concern" I argue.

What I'm trying here is to give him a bit of merit, so he feels sufficiently satisfied for me to not tell the whole truth.

"So, you _were_ keeping secrets then", says Claude "Fine. If you don't want me to ask more about it, then so be it."

I'm not entirely sure if he is telling the truth, but I will have to conform with this.

"Thanks. Now I need to go to class" I say before leaving.

And hopefully, that's the end of the Claude arc if this was a manga. Now I can concentrate on my daily life again.

After an uninteresting class where the Professor basically said that my essay was rubbish (seems that fire could also kill our troops. Oops), I make my way towards the training grounds. The Professor told me that we would meet at 18:00 for the mysterious "special training"; so, I figured I could do some "average training" before it.

I enter the arena and grab a practice sword. I look around to search for a sparring partner and see a total of 4 options. Dimitri is sparring with Felix as normal, Leonie training alone with her lance, and Petra who is surprisingly not already practicing. I think I'm going to ask Petra.

"Hey Petra, you want to practice a little?" I ask her.

"It would give me great enjoyment Oscar" she answers.

I let out a small laugh.

"Is there something funny?" asks Petra confused.

"Oh, sorry Petra. It's just that your English is strange" I explain.

"What is En-?" asks an even more confused Petra.

"I meant Fódlanese. Fódlanese. Yeah, that's what I meant." I interrupt her.

"Your sentences have humor Oscar" laughs Petra.

Ah, how the tables have turned.

"Enough chattering. Let's spar. Come on" I say.

We get into duel position. I have actually been looking forward to sparring with Petra, as she is the only other sword user in the Black Eagles (not counting the Professor).

Petra takes the initiative and attacks me with a diagonal blow from her left, which I manage to block with my sword. I take a step backward and try an inverse horizontal slash (left to right), but that leaves my right side exposed. I detain my attack and evade Petra's incoming sword by moving my body 90 degrees to my left. Putting me perpendicular to Petra. She follows up with a thrust towards my upper body which I cannot avoid. Obviously, she stops her sword from actually piercing my body, letting it just barely touch my chest.

"Good one," I say in between heavy breaths.

We return to our original positions to start anew. Damnit, I feel that I'm still not good enough to win someone from here in a duel. I barely survived a fight with an archer, who doesn't even use a sword as his main weapon. I really need to improve before the next mission.

I take a last deep breath and start sprinting towards Petra. I rapidly do a vertical swing, which Petra parries easily. As I expected her just to do that, I quickly let my sword slide down her sword and proceed to grab her blade. Yes, it sounds dangerous, but it works. The blade doesn't cut if you grip it carefully. I then finish the duel by pointing my sword at her chin.

"Got you there," I say satisfied.

"You did indeed. However, that was an attack without honor" asserts Petra with a frown.

"Yeah, it is a cheap move, I promise to not do it again. But when you are in battle honour means little, or at least that's what I believe" I argue.

"In Brigid, warriors always fight with honour. No matter how close is defeat" argues back Petra.

"I don't think I'm that brave. I prefer to live for the next day", I say while sitting down in one of the benches. Petra stays standing in front of me "So you are from Brigid, right?"

"Yes, I am."

"That's a bit far from here", I say recalling what I read on that book "Why are you here? In Garreg Mach."

"I was invited by Lady Edelgard" responds Petra.

"Are you a noble in Brigid then?" I ask innocently.

"I am the princess of Brigid" asserts Petra.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know that. Well, to be fair I didn't know Edelgard was the future Empress when I first came here" I laugh.

"Why are you here Oscar? You do not seem to have the noble status" asks Petra.

"Long story short, I basically 'helped' Rhea defeat some bandits, and she invited me here. Don't ask why, because I don't know the answer to that question" I explain.

Just as I finish talking something behind my head catches Petra's attention.

"Hello Professor" greets Petra.

The Professor then walks until he is in front of us. Is it me or does he always dramatically enter when I'm talking to someone?

"Oh, the special training, right!" I recall.

"Yes. Follow me to the stables when you can" orders the Professor.

It looks like I'm going to see Zaggy today.

"Okay then. See ya Petra."

We leave the training grounds and start walking to the stables.

"So, cavalry huh? Never saw myself riding a horse into battle" I say to the Professor.

"I think you don't have the right idea; you are not going to be cavalry. We are just going to ride out of here" explains the Professor facing forward.

"But yesterday you told me that I improved my horse riding and-"

"That's because a month ago, I wasn't sure that you would be able to ride out of the monastery without falling" interrupts the Professor with a blank face.

Ouch.

We arrive at the stables where one of the workers already have the two horses prepared, one of them being Zaggy. We mount on them, ride down the hill, and out of Garreg Mach town. After 10 minutes of silence (the Professor isn't very talkative) we arrive at a green grassy plain. In the distance, I can see farmers picking up their crops.

"So, what are we going to do here?" I ask.

"Right now, you are going to run" responds the Professor.

"Run?" I ask.

"Yes. You can start now" he instructs.

"But run, where?!" I ask already stressed.

"Wherever you want to" he explains.

"Okay…" I sigh in defeat.

I start trotting towards nowhere, and then I notice that the Professor is literally chasing me with his horse. As he rides faster, I am forced to run faster. How the fuck is this supposed to help me? Besides, it must look pretty fucking weird to the farmers.

I run and run at a good pace for over 10 minutes, but then I start to feel very exhausted. I don't have that much endurance. Maybe that's what he wants me to improve.

"Come on Oscar. Five more minutes" tries the Professor to motivate me.

"5 minutes?!" I barely manage to shout.

This is going to kill me.

…

After an agonizing 5 minutes, I drop dead onto the grass. Holy shit was this painful. I don't know if I can return to the monastery with the little energy I have left.

"Why… do…this?" I ask in between heavy breaths.

"That was the warm-up. If you want to survive in battle, you can't get tired in the middle of it."

"Now… what?" I ask very scared and very tired.

The Professor then takes a book off his bag and gives it to me.

"You will be learning healing magic," says the Professor.

"Healing?" I say a bit disappointed.

Well, at least is not more running.

"After the Red Canyon battle, I noticed that your inexperience in combat makes you a human ragdoll for the enemies. So, you should learn to heal yourself" he explains.

"Fair enough. But why bring me here?"

"Magic requires concentration when you begin. This is the perfect place" he asserts.

To be fair, he is right. There is nearly no sound here, just birds and the wind. No trees, no bushes, and no buildings; only a seemingly never-ending landscape.

"Do I cut myself or something? So I have something to heal" I ask.

"No need for that. I already have an injury" says the Professor, exposing a minor bruise in his left arm. One of those you make when you fall running.

I start reading the marked page in the book.

_To start healing, you need to transfer your energy into your hands and then visualize the injury itself repairing. _

Okay, it doesn't sound too difficult. The problem is that I don't know how to "transfer energy" consciously. I suppose I will just have to try.

I concentrate on feeling my whole body and then moving my sensations into my hand (if that makes any sense) and… nothing happens. How is this supposed to work? I just can't do it. Maybe it's because I am from another universe. Maybe I just don't have magic in me, and all the people from this universe are born with it.

"Sorry to disappoint Professor but I don't know if I can do this," I say visibly sad.

"Try again."

Fine, let's try again.

This time I leave my mind in blank, and really concentrate on what I'm feeling and where. I sense that some of my muscles are unnecessarily tense, so I relax them, then I "transfer" all the accumulated energy into my hands. I don't know if I'm doing this right, but I can feel something new. There's something in my body that is giving me magic.

I open my eyes and see that the Professor's bruise has been healed.

I did it. I did it!

"Look out!"

My joy is interrupted by the Professor pushing me to the ground with him. Once in the ground, I manage to see a dark magic ball flying through exactly where I was.

"We need to go. Now" orders the Professor.

Scared as fuck I run towards Zaggy and start riding towards the monastery as fast as I can. I look backwards to only see a beam of light, and nothing else. It looks like the attacker transported himself with magic. There is no way he could have hide, we were literally in flat land, with nothing obstructing the view.

Was he/she trying to kill me? Probably a bandit that knew we were from the Academy. Or perhaps, they had a more complex mission…

In less than 5 minutes we arrive at Garreg Mach town. We then stop to breath just outside the tavern I went to yesterday.

"What was that?" I ask.

"A dark magic spell. Someone was watching us" responds the Professor, visibly frustrated.

"Did you see him? Cause I didn't."

"No, unfortunately."

"I'm not going out of town alone anymore, that's for sure," I conclude.

"We should return to the monastery for now" suggests the Professor.

As we start to ride up the hill, I notice that the Professor is visibly disturbed. I know that I was nearly killed, but I haven't seen the Professor this way in all the time I've been here. I mean, when that archer actually damaged me with the arrow, he didn't seem to be worried at all. Weird.

All of this situation has been weird to be fair. A random person decides to attack out of nowhere? I'm starting to believe that I was the target, but why? I don't have anything to give and I haven't made anyone that mad. Unless the person knew that I came to from another world, and was seeking to kill me…

Well FUCK. Now the bad guys want me dead. Pretty sure that's not meant to happen in any Fire Emblem; having one of your playable characters killed offscreen.

And now I'm paranoid, very paranoid. What if they enter the monastery and kill me?

I'm so dead. I'm so dead. I'm so dead.

But why would they want me dead? I'm like the weakest guy here, I don't know why I was transported to this world, but if it's supposed to be saved by me or some other bullshit like that, they clearly chose the wrong person.

I really need to get to the bottom of this, my life is in line.

Okay, Oscar relax. If they haven't attacked you yet in the monastery, it is either because they can't, or because you are not worth the effort. Either way, you save inside of it.

Maybe it was just a solitary bandit that we just happened to meet. A solitary bandit, in the middle of nowhere, alone… yeah, no. So basically, if I don't die in the very possible war, I will die assassinated. Wonderful, just wonderful.

"Oscar" the Professor calls me out.

"Huh?" I ask surprised.

I was in automatic mode, and I didn't realize that we just reached the gates of the monastery. Thank God.

"Finally, we're here. Felt like ages.", I say to the Professor "I think I'm going to rest for now"

"I understand" he responds.

"See ya then," I say before departing ways.

I leave Zaggy at the stables and then wander off to my room. In the way, I encounter Edelgard and Hubert.

"Good evening Oscar, I haven't seen you since class ended" points out Edelgard.

"Yeah, I went outside with the Professor to train. But that ended quickly…", I assert preoccupied "I was attacked…"

"You were attacked? By who?" asks Edelgard shocked.

"A dark mage of some sort. Not that I saw him, the Professor pushed me out of the way before his spell could hit me…"

"A dark mage, is that so?" contemplates Hubert.

"Don't worry Hubert, I'm sure it wasn't you" I comment jokingly.

"I assume he escaped then" suggests Edelgard in a pensive pose.

"Yep, he literally disappeared", I recall "Now if you excuse me, I have a bed waiting for me to sleep on."

"Wait", says Edelgard "Don't you want to have dinner? I would like to continue this conversation."

"I'm not that hungry, but I'll go if you insist" I say feeling my adrenaline go down.

We sit down at the canteen, me with only a piece of bread to eat. The shock must have taken all my hunger away.

"So where were you when the attack happened?" asks Edelgard with concentration in her eyes.

I just realized that Edelgard eyes are purple, how did I miss that? I suppose the hair colours were taking all the attention until now.

"I don't really know to be fair. It was one of those flat agricultural fields, just outside Garreg Mach" I comment while eating my bread.

"I see" says Edelgard.

"May I ask what you were training?" asks Hubert.

"Ah, yes. I was learning how to cast healing magic."

Hubert nods and starts eating his own food. There is a small silence until I decide to change the subject.

"But that's enough about that. Let's talk about another thing. There is no need to dwell on what happened" I say unconvincingly.

To be fair, I will dwell a lot on this, but I prefer to lighten the mood now.

"Say Edelgard. You are going to become the Empress of Adrestia, right? What are you planning to do during your reign?" I ask innocently.

Let's see if I can make her spill some important information. I don't really have any idea of what's going to happen in terms of the plot of the game, but I'm positive that Edelgard will play a major role in it. I saw her in the E3 trailer after all.

"Since when are you interested in politics Oscar?" asks a smirking Edelgard.

"Since I've arrived here. Do you really expect me to be able to talk with the future empress and not ask anything? I argue.

"That is a fair point. But why should Lady Edelgard tell her plans to a mere commoner like you?" asks Hubert menacingly.

"Hey, don't misunderstand me. I was just asking" I defend myself nervously.

"Don't take what Hubert says too seriously, he is suspicious of everyone. However, it is true that I don't give information that lightly. Especially to people who drink too much alcohol" comments Edelgard with her finger on her lip.

Oh fuck.

"Don't say that, please. I already had enough for today. It was an accident I swear" I plead.

"As a member of the Black Eagle house, I find your behaviour unacceptable. Nevertheless, I shall let it go for now" reprimands Hubert.

"I am so sorry. It was Claude, Claude made me drink. I swear." I argue passionately.

"However it happened, you should apologize to the students of the Blue Lion house. After all, they were the ones to suffer the consequences of your… changed personality" suggests Edelgard.

"Fine. See you guys tomorrow." I say while leaving the table.

I need to find Dimitri, Dedue, Felix and Ingrid. Ah, there they are, they are all sitting together. Come on Oscar, be a man and face the consequences of your actions (or Claude's actions).

"Hey, guys" I say to catch the table's attention.

They all turn to me. Felix with an incredibly evil smirk, Dimitri smiling, Dedue serous (like always) and a very annoyed Ingrid.

"I just wanted to say sorry for yesterday's incident. I have no excuses" I apologize, although I do have strong excuses.

"There's no need to worry Oscar. In fact, you put on a great display. I could barely contain my laugh" points out Dimitri.

"Well, that's everything. See ya."

And then I hurry up to leave the canteen.

That was a cringe-worthy conversation. At least Dimitri took it nicely, cannot say the same about Ingrid. Her face was scary, very scary. The same face he puts when she catches Sylvain flirting with girls.

I return to my room and throw myself into bed, not even changing my clothes; not that I have a lot. I have several copies of the same uniform and the clothes on which I came here. A blue hoodie, a grey t-shirt, blue jeans, and grey trainers. The only people who saw me in those clothes were Rhea and Seteth, along with the Knights of Seiros that were with her. Surprisingly, they did not comment anything on them.

Ah! Before I sleep, I need to write in my diary, I haven't forgotten about it, let's see.

_26/05/80_

_Today I was nearly killed…_

* * *

An uneventful week passes, putting us firmly on the 2nd of the Garland Moon (June). Fortunately for me, there are no more assassination attempts on my life.

As our mission happened one week before planned, we had to wait until the other classes completed theirs before receiving our next one. And that's exactly what we are discussing today in class.

"Our next mission is helping suppress the Western Church rebellion" explains the Professor.

"Wait? The Western Church is rebelling?" ask Ferdinand surprised.

"Yes. It seems that they have developed animosity towards the Central Church. They are led by Lord Lonato from House Gaspard" asserts Edelgard.

The Western Church? I think I read something about them. If my memory serves right, they were the Faerghus branch of the Church of Seiros. But why would they be rebelling?

"I met Lord Lonato once in the opera. He didn't seem to be the kind of noble to start a rebellion without any good reason" comments Dorothea.

"It seems that the execution of his son, Christophe, is his main motivation for revenge" suggests Hubert thoughtfully.

"Either way, I am ready for another fight!" exclaims Caspar excitedly.

"Argh, more death" regrets Lindhart.

Thank god I am not the only one that wasn't too enthusiastic about killing.

"We are only going to deal with the aftermath. We are not expected to engage in actual battle" explains the Professor.

"That's good! So, you don't need me? Right?" asks Bernadetta nervously.

"Like always, you will come too Bernadetta" says the Professor to a now frustrated Bernadetta.

"Question", I say "Will the Knights of Seiros be with us again? I mean, just in case something goes wrong…"

"Yes. We will be accompanied by Catherine"

"You mean Catherine, from House Charon? Wielder of Thunderbrand?" asks Ferdinand.

The Professor nods.

Thunderbrand sounds like a super cool weapon, not gonna lie.

"That is all, now let's continue with the class" says the Professor his voice disappearing in between my thoughts.

So, the Western Church is rebelling. That sounds like a symptom of war coming. It could be connected, or it could be an isolated event. I will have to research deeper on it, which means more hours in the library, which means more hours with Claude, which also means more time for him to question my background.

Whatever the answer is, it seems that this month is going to be entertaining. And of course, I know that there is going to be a battle, that's why I asked if the Knights were coming with us. This is a Fire Emblem game; we are going to get surprised attacked in one way or another, so I better prepare. We are going to battle armoured knights not badly prepared bandits.

_*knock knock*_

Is someone knocking on the classroom door?

I turn around to see that the grey-haired archer of the Blue Lions is entering the class.

"Sorry to interrupt Professor, but I have a request to ask for" he says.

"What is it Ashe?" asks the Professor.

"As you probably know, Lord Lonato is my adoptive father…", he says a saddened look "I want to go with your class if that's possible. I need to speak to him."

"Of course, you can come Ashe. I will talk with Rhea about it"

"Thank you so much, Professor. See you soon then" he says before walking out.

It seems that we will have an extra unit for this battle. I've got to admit that he is in a really bad situation. He may have to battle his father, which obviously isn't an ideal situation.

After the classes end for the day, I am able to go to the library. Although I should train, my curiosity for the Western Church is too big to contain. If I manage to find valuable information, I may be able to predict the plot, that would be a very big asset on my survival plan.

I enter the library and don't see anyone except the archer from the Golden Deer, Ignatz. Sorry, Ignatz but you really need a haircut, your head looks like it has a massive onion stuck to it.

"Hey, you are Oscar, right?" greets Ignatz.

Wait, how does he know my name. Ah, he probably saw it on the task timetable…. Oh yeah, today I had to clean the library with him. I was lucky that I decided to come here on my own motivation, if not I would have forgotten. I'm such a disaster.

"Yep, and you are Ignatz." I assert

"Yes. We should probably start cleaning to finish early. Should I clean and you sort correctly the books" suggests Ignatz.

"Sounds good to me" I conclude.

I start on one of the corners of the library, taking all the books from the shelf. I thought people would put back the books where they got them, but I was terribly wrong. All of these books are mixed up horribly; magic with history, crestology with geography… Sigh better start now, or I will never finish.

After 30 minutes of putting books on stacks and then piling them on their respective shelves, I notice two things. That there are literally no books about the Western Church whatsoever and that there are also not enough books to fill in all the shelves, not even close.

Then I notice Ignatz putting a new pile of books on one of the tables.

"Woah, from where did you get those?" I ask him.

"It seems that Hilda didn't bring them, so I had to get them from our class" he explains.

Hilda was the pink-haired girl of the Golden Deer. The one with the two pigtails.

"So basically, Hilda didn't do what she had to do" I say annoyed.

"She did ask nicely though" argues Ignatz.

"If you say so" I say unconvinced before starting to order the new pile.

I haven't talked to Hilda, but she is never going to pull that shit with me. No way I will do other people's work. I have enough things to worry about right now. I don't know how Ignatz didn't realize she was using him. To be fair, I am fairly similar to Ignatz; the difference is that I'm probably more selfish and snarkier, especially since arriving here.

"Well, that's the last book. How's cleaning going Ignatz?" I ask him.

"I just need to clean this corner and that will be it" he says.

"Perfect, I will be going now then. See ya"

I would have stayed in there was a book on the Western Church, but they seem to be non-existent. Strange, very strange. This to me smells like religious censorship; not a good sign. Nevertheless, I don't think neither Rhea nor Seteth are bad people, they don't give that kind of energy, but I would lie if I say that I don't have doubts about the Church. They are so secretive, then again so was the Catholic Church back on Earth. I just hope they aren't too radical.

I walk through the corridors and start going down the stairs. Then I see the same pink-haired girl who was subject of conversation earlier on.

"Oh hello. I think we haven't met. I'm Hilda" she says.

"I'm Oscar" I respond a bit coldly.

"Sorry to ask this so suddenly, but do you happen to know where Ignatz is?" she asks.

It seems that Ignatz favours did not end before.

"Yeah, he is in the library. I was cleaning it with him minutes ago" I comment.

"Perfect! Do you mind giving him these books? I forgot them to return them to him myself earlier. I don't know if I can carry them anymore" she complains.

Hilda then nearly drops the books to the floor, but I manage to hold them for her.

"Yeah, I can see that. Don't worry I will take them."

"Thank you so much, Oscar! It's so nice of you" she compliments.

Not really that big of a task, but it's always nice to receive positive comments.

I then carry the books to the library. They aren't particularly heavy. I also don't know why Ignatz would want all of these books but whatever.

"Hey Ignatz" I greet him while entering the room.

"Hi Oscar, I thought you left" he points out.

"Well yeah, but Hilda asked me to give you your books" I explain while putting the books on his hands.

"Oscar… these aren't mine. They are from the library" he says.

Oh no. I fell into her trap. Hilda forgot _twice_ to bring the books from her class. Doesn't she also carry a freaking axe into battle? Of course, she is able to carry some books! She just made an act!

And all those compliments… just to encourage me to do her work. She is a master manipulator, and I am the stupidest person in this universe.

Goddamnit.

* * *

**Chapter 5 is done, finally. Like always, few things to say:**

**1\. I will be checking spelling and grammar in the first 4 chapters, so don't be surprised if you see some minor changes.**

**2\. You can also check my profile to see how much of the next chapter has been written.**

**That is all for today. Thanks for following and reviewing!**


	6. Battle in the Myst

"Argh, come on! Why is this so difficult?!" I complain loudly, throwing the book I was using to the ground.

"Are you sure you know how to do this?" asks an unconvinced Caspar.

"Well, yeah. I did. Don't know why it isn't working right now" I explain, mildly offended.

Since that day on the outskirts of Garreg Mach, I haven't been able to heal anything. I don't know why or how, but I just can't feel the magic flowing through me anymore.

Lindhart who was napping next to us stands up, picks the book, and starts healing Caspar's wounds "I suppose I will have taken care of it."

"Why is it so hot today? We just started summer!" I continue complaining.

"I don't know about magic, but you are really good at moaning about things" points out Caspar.

"You're _so_ funny Caspar" I say sarcastically.

Albeit my defensive attitude, I must admit that today I'm not in the best of moods. First of all, it is very hot outside; it's early summer so it isn't that of a surprise. Still, it is very annoying, and it makes me sweat bullets. Worse of all, somehow Seteth heard about my drunken incident, which in turn meant a fucking hour of lecturing about how I'm betraying Rhea by not behaving adequately in the "deeply prestigious Officer's Academy". Not fun at all. And then we reach the situation I encounter myself in at the moment, with me frustrated about not being capable of casting the tiniest bit of magic

"My job here is done" says Lindhart as he finishes healing the last injury in Caspar's body. He then decides to leave the training grounds, possibly to sleep. What am I saying, definitely to sleep?

"Alright! Let's fight Oscar!" exclaims Caspar, already with the practice axe in hand.

"Alright" I say while picking my sword.

We place ourselves in duel position. Sparring with Caspar is very different from sparring with, for example, Petra. He is quite… temperamental on the battlefield.

"YIAAAAARGH" shouts Caspar coming at me with his axe raised. He always does that. No exceptions.

His attack is so predictable that I dodge to the right, way before he can plummet the axe to where I was. He continues his attack with a sideways swing towards me, which I evade by jumping backwards; then I easily lunge forward and put my sword at his neck.

"Come on Caspar you are better than that" I say to him.

"I know, I know. Another one, come on!" he shouts frustrated. He returns to his position and starts practicing his attacks before the second round begins.

To be fair, he should be able to beat me. For his height and mass, he has formidable strength which along with his dexterity should give him the edge over me. It's his impatience and emotions that let him down. He acts before thinking. I wouldn't recommend doing that, especially in battle.

"Let me attack first this time" I say to Caspar, who responds with a nod.

I run towards Caspar, ending it with a slide as I stretch my arm to try to "thrust" my sword. That was a terrible idea, as it left me with my whole arm exposed. Caspar obviously took advantage, and "cut off" my arm with his axe and thus won the duel.

"Well that was stupid" I say a little bit embarrassed.

"What were you even thinking? You would have lost your arm, no doubt about that" asserts Caspar.

"Yeah, just got carried away", I admit "Come on. One more and then we rest."

We once again regain positions and signal to teach others that we are prepared.

"YIAAAAARGH" shouts again Caspar as he repeats his attack from the first duel. Does he really think that's going to work, after failing miserably the first time?

I wait for him to get close enough and then quickly move to the left. I then notice that his side is vulnerable and try to "slash" through it. However, this time instead of attacking me, Caspar parries my sword with his axe, making me stumble backwards from the impact. I firmly push my feet onto the ground to regain balance. There are a few seconds of heavy breaths until Caspar comes at me with a spin attack. Take my word when I say that spin attacks are very scary. As I see that he is too close to be able to move sideways, I make yet another jump backwards. Luckily for me, Caspar is left slightly disoriented, which leaves me time to attack him. Just before I can place my sword on his neck, he drops the axe and manages to grab my sword hand. We struggle for a bit and end up falling to the ground, with me dropping my sword.

"I think that's a draw" I say, still in the ground. Ouch that fall hurt.

"Yeah, I think so" agrees Caspar, just as exhausted as me.

I stand up and offer my hand to Caspar, which he accepts.

"Well that's enough for today for me" I say tiredly.

"Come on, we just started!" groans Caspar.

"It's not my fault that you have infinite energy Caspar" I say to him while sitting on one of the benches "Guys like me prefer to enjoy life… in a more passive way"

Caspar instead doesn't sit and continues practicing his axe technique "I didn't understand a word of what you are saying. Sounds like excuses for being lazy to me"

"I am lazy, never argued against that. But sometimes laziness is the best way" I argue.

"What do you mean?" asks Caspar.

"I mean that lazy people sometimes find the most efficient ways to do things, just to avoid doing extra work" I explain. I then take my sweat off with a hand towel and briefly reconsider what I 've said. "Except Lindhart, he is just next-level lazy"

I'm sweating like crazy; I've got to take a shower.

"Well, I think that you have to jump into action. You just can't stand there watching."

"True, but I will only do that when it's necessary to do that" I conclude before getting up "I think I'm gonna take a shower."

"I thought you were too lazy to take a shower" jokes Caspar.

I laugh with him and head to the showers. Once there, I bath myself with the cold water, which I've grown accustomed to.

What should I do today?

I know! The Professor said to buy necessary equipment for the mission, which is tomorrow; so, I've been planning to go down to town and buy some potions. I don't know how those work, but I'm not complaining. Seriously, all of this magic stuff is so useful; apart from being much cooler than anything we have on Earth.

After showering, I spot Caspar still training alone, doing some push-ups. Might as well invite him.

"Hey, Caspar. I'm going to the town to buy some potions; thought you might want to tag along."

"I'm good, don't worry about me. See you later then Oscar" says Caspar, before returning to his push-ups.

I leave the monastery, walk down the hill and soon enough I am in the town's main street. I could have gone to the market just next to the monastery's gate, but there are usually long queues, and I think I can save time by coming here. Besides, I wanted to explore the town a bit more; as last time I was too dizzy to appreciate it.

I walk through the street trying to find a shop, but as I walk my attention starts to drift away from the buildings and centres and more on the other people in the town. Most of them are villagers, with plain robes of simple colours; green, light red, brown. What you expect of a medieval town. Nevertheless, there also soldiers coming in and out of the monastery, their armour clanking as they walk. Some merchant carriages also pass through once in a while, bringing supplies to both town and monastery. Between the buildings narrow streets are entering more deeply into the town. Sometimes you can see children playing, people chopping wood or taking water out from the wells. Their ways may be ancient from an Earthling perspective, but there is a certain beauty to it. Their life is uncomplicated and moves slowly, totally contrary to life in Earth's big metropolis, where each second is vital. People actually take their time to do things here, and by doing so, I think they are able to appreciate life more. I guess there is happiness in simplicity after all.

"Hey, mister!" shouts a voice at my right. I turn to see a little boy raising his hand, clearly indicating that it was him. In my foot, some sort of ball. "Can you pass us the ball?"

Without thinking it much, I play a bit with it, doing some dribbles and maintaining it in the air by kicking it. I then kick the ball gently, but with enough power to arrive at the boy's feet. I'm not the one to brag, but I gotta say that I'm fairly good at soccer, although I call it football. You see, my dad is Brazilian and my mother Spanish, so I grew with soccer everywhere.

"Wow! That was impressive mister!" exclaims the red-headed boy coming towards me "Do it again!"

The boy gives me the ball and once again, I kick it around a little bit, do some basic tricks like putting it behind my neck, etc. Once I finish, I notice that there is now a group of 6 kids all gathered around me.

"Can you teach me please?" says a little girl who just arrived.

"I wanna do that!" says another boy imitating what I was doing.

"Alright, calm down. Let's play a match." I say to all of them.

This will be fun.

We walk towards the street where they were playing before, where I get four rocks and set up two goals at each then.

"Okay, so these are the goalies. If you kick the ball past one, that's a goal for your team. Nobody can touch the ball with their hands except the goalkeeper, who is only one in each team." I explain to the amused kids "Now, lets' play. And remember, no kicking each other."

Time flies as I play with the kids for like an hour, obviously not playing very seriously to let them have fun. However, I admit that I enjoyed playing as if I was one of them. It reminds me of when I played with my father in our garden. Garden which I probably will never see again. And most importantly father that I will never see again. It may sound negative, but even if I don't die in the upcoming war or assassinated; I doubt I will find a way out of here. But still, I maintain that hope. If I was given the choice to return right now, I would undoubtedly take it. I like this world, but it's too dangerous for people like me who just want to survive. I was never meant to be here to start with.

My thoughts are interrupted by the red-headed boy approaching me "That was fun mister! We need to return for dinner, but we can play again tomorrow!"

"I don't think I can play tomorrow. I will be going to battle" I explain to the boy, whose eyes now shine even more.

"Are you in the Officer's Academy? I want to be there when I'm grown up!" exclaims the boy, mimicking a sword battle.

"Maybe you will, who knows. Anyway, it's getting late. See ya all another day" I say before parting ways.

It is at times like these when I remember that this an entirely new world, filled with normal people living their lives. It is a concept really difficult to grasp, as it confirms the multiverse theory. Damn. I don't think I'm smart enough for this. I hope I'm not meant to save the world or something because I don't think I'm capable of. I just want to have a simple, non-stressful life. But what if I don't return to Earth? What will I do if I survive the war? Maybe I could become a teacher, that would be cool. I mean, with my high school knowledge I can still become a great thinker/inventor/musician here in Fódlan. In fact, I think I've just introduced soccer to Fódlan.

Once I leave the street, I notice that none other than Dimitri, in his full academy attire, was watching me play.

"I didn't know you had a way with kids Oscar" says Dimitri.

"Well, it's fun to relax sometimes. Especially knowing that I have a mission tomorrow" I explain, growing more stressed as I finish the sentence.

"If my mind serves right, you are not intended to fight anyone" asserts Dimitri, hand in his chin.

"Yeah…" I affirm, although knowing that tomorrow there is 100% a battle.

Concern then shows in Dimitri's face. "I assume you already know Ashe is going. Please know that this month has been especially difficult for him. His adoptive father, Lord Lonato, is the one leading this rebellion."

"He did ask to come. So, he accepts the responsibility that that conveys", I argue pensively, then I remember why I was in town in the first place. "I forgot that I had to buy the supplies for the mission!"

"I will see you then later Oscar. Ah, by the way. The shop is over there, don't end up in the tavern. We all know what could happen if that's the case" chuckles Dimitri.

"This joke is going to be with me all my life, isn't it?", I sigh "Anyway, thanks Dimitri, didn't know where the shop was. See ya."

After buying some potions and other stuff for battle, I decide to return. I also decided to buy a dagger, just in case someone decides to suddenly attack me or something. However, in the ascent, I cross ways with a certain pink-haired girl. She seems to be struggling to carry some supplies.

"Need some help Hilda?" I ask her in the most innocent way I could muster.

"Oh, Oscar. Yeah, these supplies are too heavy for me" she asserts.

"Really?" I ask her, once again faking concern.

"My arms are too weak for these things, can't you see?" she says while flaunting her arms around.

"That's weird" I pause for a moment "You can perfectly carry an axe bigger than my head to battle, but you can't carry this?"

I notice a hint of surprise in Hilda's face for a second, but she immediately supresses it "Well, the axe is so much lighter, you know?"

"I'm sure", I say ironically "Then this will serve you as training. Good luck Hilda."

I hear Hilda trying to say something, but to no avail, as I already started walking away from her. but not much after I return to help her because I'm not that cold-hearted. Once we reach the monastery, I let go of the supplies (which were pretty heavy) and drop them on the floor.

"Wow… that was…exhausting" I regret.

"See? I wasn't lying to you" says Hilda.

"Okay, I admit they were heavy. But this is like the boy who cried wolf story" I comment.

"They boy who cried wolf?"

"Yes. There was once a boy that protected the sheep up in the mountains. To entertain himself he would alert all the people in the town by shouting that a wolf was attacking him and the sheep. He did this many times and eventually, the townsfolk stopped listening to him. So, when a wolf attacked, nobody came to help him and he…" I then finish by slitting my throat with my hand.

"That's a _sad_ story. But I don't know what that has to do with me" points out Hilda, quite confused.

"Well, you always make people do things you could do on your own. So, when you need help, people are already tired of doing you favours. For example, what just happened" I say pointing to the box of supplies.

"I see."

"Well that felt strange. I don't think I'm comfortable giving people lessons. Don't take it too seriously, but you know what I mean, right?" I point out.

"I think I'm understanding it. I only need to do important tasks so then I can always delegate them to someone else!" says Hilda.

"Are you kidding me?" I said disappointed.

"I'm just kidding with you, Oscar. I know what you mean, but I don't think I'm going to stop."

I surrender "Well you do you, I'm now going to relax to my room."

I suppose some people just never learn. I find that pretty annoying. Nonetheless, if she keeps on doing it, it is because it works; and to be fair she doesn't harm anyone. The only thing I know is that I'm not falling again in her trap, and that's the only thing that matters to me.

I think I will grab something for dinner, write in my diary, and then go to sleep early. I want to be in an optimal state for tomorrow. Please God/Goddess, don't let the battle be too challenging. Like Freddie Mercury would sing: _**I don't wanna die**_.

* * *

Fog. Fucking fog. So, this is the excuse the game has to justify the battle? I wonder when it will begin.

Right now, we are walking through this forest covered in fog, meaning that I can't see anything more than 15 metres in front of me. This will be so annoying in battle. I don't really know why but temperatures also dropped down a lot, to the point that it is quite chilly when it was hot before.

"Report! The enemy is approaching! They can't be avoided" alerts one of the soldiers that came with us.

"It looks like our mission just changed. Everyone prepares for battle!" shouts Catherine, already unsheathing Thunderbrand.

Shit, here we go again.

The situation caught us unexpectedly, so we are scattered through the potential battlefield. I myself am in the far-right end, just next to me the forest grows deep. No doubt I will have to be careful from soldiers coming from that side.

Luckily, I have Edelgard at my left, so in case something goes wrong, she can chop the head off from an enemy soldier.

"Advance carefully" commands the Professor, taking the initiative from the centre of the formation.

I walk slowly upwards, directly into the fog. As I advance, I hear battle sounds from my far left, which means that they are already attacking us from that side. It's only a matter of time until…

_*Whoosh*_

Ah, arrows my most vicious enemy. Thankfully, I blocked it with my shield.

I look over to Edelgard and signal her to cover me up while I search for the archer. I then advance very slowly to my left, shield in my face. To my surprise, no more arrows are shot.

"_HYAARGH_"

And that's a soldier lunging straight towards me with a lance. I jump to my left to avoid my death and attack him immediately. However, unlike the bandits, these soldiers were more protected, with chainmail armour; making a bit more difficult to kill, but nonetheless killable.

I move quickly and punch in the head with my shield. That leaves him confused for a moment. I take advantage and pierce through his neck with my sword.

And that's my second person killed. He was possibly fairly inexperienced, didn't pose much of a threat like I expected. This time I did not look at his body, don't want to vomit again.

I glimpse at Edelgard fighting another soldier with the archer pestering her, making my mission very clear. Imitating myself in the last battle, I run towards the archer, who doesn't see me and stick my sword in his torso. I then take it off and stab into his heart before he can react, killing him at the same time as Edelgard finishes the other guy. Who is actually a girl now that I look more closely. It looks like that in this world, women can be soldiers. Interesting.

Edelgard comes up to me "We should move towards the centre"

I do just that. The situation on the battlefield looks positive. Catherine is killing literally everyone in her way with only one swing of her sword, and my classmates are holding up well against the mages and archers that surround us.

The fog suddenly disappears, as it was some form of magic. Wait, maybe it was some form of magic. Anyway, the enemy's army can now be entirely seen. At its end, a guy in full armour in his horse stands imposingly. Is that Lord Lonato?

"Attack!" shouts the Professor as he who starts running forward.

Okay, swordsman on my right, axe guy in my left. Do I prefer to be killed with a sword or an axe? Hehe, just kidding. I'm going for the axeman. If I remember well enough, swords should beat axes in Fire Emblem.

I walk towards the axeman who sees me, and charges towards me with his axe lifted.

No way I can parry that, better dodge it.

I move out of the way which makes the axeman change his attack, transitioning into a horizontal swing. I parry it with my shield, but it does make a cut on my right arm, but not enough to debilitate me. Before he can attack, I do a horizontal slash on his leg, which leaves him limping. Hubert comes to support me and casts a dark magic ball onto his face. I then thrust my sword onto his neck.

This is becoming my signature move. However, that was seriously risky, if I had not successfully cut through his leg, he could have very easily killed me.

Only Lonato and three of his knights are left. As they are fully armoured, the knights are killed by our mages and by Catherine, whose sword is so strong that it melts the metal away. With only Lonato left, I notice that Ashe steps in front to talk with him. They exchange a few words, which I can't hear because I'm too far away, but I hope that it cleared some doubts. Once Catherine steps in, everyone knew that Lonato's death was imminent. Although he manages to dodge her attacks at first, Catherine only grew stronger with each one. She finalized the battle by literally jumping so high she was at the height of Lonato's arm and proceeding to slash open his chest. Lonato then drops dead off from his horse and onto the ground. Holy shit was that epic. I guess crests do that for ya.

"That looks like all of them" says Catherine wiping the blood from her face.

Talking about blood, once again I'm covered in it. Ugh, I hate this.

"Lord Lonato…" laments Ashe softly.

"I am sorry about your loss Ashe" says Edelgard.

"No… He acted against the church; he knew that he would be punished. But why?" asks Ashe with a distraught face.

"So many commoners died. That's not what a noble does" laments Ferdinand.

"Wait those were commoners?" I ask surprised. That would explain why some of them seemed so inexperienced.

"Yes. A large piece of his army was composed by militias explains Hubert.

"Argh, I feel so powerless! All of this to kill some commoners. That's not justice!" shouts out Caspar, punching the ground dramatically.

The Professor then steps in before the situation worsens "We should return to the monastery for now."

We all nod and start walking to our horses. I do notice Edelgard and the Professor talking about something. Now normally I wouldn't do what I'm about to do, but this may be an important conversation for the plot. I deaccelerate my pace until I'm barely moving forward and proceed to act like I'm searching for something in the ground. However, the distance between me and them makes it difficult to hear them

"I am… kind of…sacrifice … for the greater good' it's what I manage to hear from Edelgard.

Is she a sacrifice for the greater good? That doesn't make any sense. Perhaps she is telling him that sacrifices must be made for the greater good. That's reasonable, but it can also be a red flag. You see, since I remembered that trailer my main theory was that the war was directly connected to Edelgard, as it gave her much attention. Now, I don't see Edelgard starting a war out of pure maliciousness; but this sentence may be indicating another line of thought… Then again, I may be overthinking it; but I will definitely keep a closer eye on Edelgard.

Looks like they are now talking with Catherine, better if I leave now before raising suspicions.

We return to the monastery, and I must say that the mood in between was dreadful. Obviously, Ashe was close to breaking down, but I can't say that the others were much better. Naturally, nobody enjoyed killing commoners who had no choice but to follow their lords; even Catherine looked sad. The only ones who maintained a straight face were the Professor and Hubert, not surprising in my opinion. About myself, I say that I'm handling it well. I think that my de-attachment from this world might have helped. I would prefer to never battle anymore, but if it has to be done for my survival, I will do it. Like I said before countless times: I will be returning to Earth, and nobody will stop me from doing that.

Once in Garreg Mach, I change my clothes, and head to the canteen. But just as I leave my room, I hear singing in the greenhouse next to it. I take a peek inside and see that it was Annette singing and that Felix is already watching her. Once she notices him, she gets mad and eventually runs out of the greenhouse. seems mad at him lol. Suck that Felix, you edgelord.

Now that I think about it, I've barely heard any music since coming here. The most similar thing being the choir of the church. I miss music, I always loved it; I played guitar after all. Maybe I can build a guitar here, but to be fair I have no idea how to do that. Perhaps Lindhart can help me do the measurements (if I manage to convince him), and then I can get someone to build it. Sigh, that's too much work. I will do another day. I'm off to eat.

Ah, the canteen. It always gives me headaches thinking about who I sit. You know what? I'm going to sit with some random average students. Because I'm a mad lad.

I sit down near this group of three people. One girl with short brown hair, a guy with long blonde hair in a ponytail and another guy with short black hair. More average would be physically impossible. I try to listen to their conversation as I eat.

"And I've been told that they killed all of Lonato's army" whispers the Girl to her friends.

Oh, so they are talking about us. I never felt this famous.

"Well, I've been told that Cassandra Thunderstorm was with them" whispers back the black-haired boy.

Is that her nickname or something? I want a nickname too; Oscar Lightning blade.

The girl then notices me "Isn't that…" she says looking at her friends.

"Yes…" responds the brown-haired guy.

Ha, so they know I'm part of the elite class. I didn't know I was this popular.

"The guy who got drunk…"

Oh, fucking hell.

Time to interrupt this conversation "Hey hey hey, I never got drunk. Don't believe all those rumours"

"We saw you…" responds the black-haired boy.

"Well, I wasn't super drunk. I was tricked, you know?" I desperately try to defend myself.

I was met with silence. Fuck these average students, what would they know. I thought this was long forgotten by now!

"Seems that your acts have caught onto you" says a voice on my right.

"Okay Ingrid, how many times have I said sorry? Is this not enough for you, cruel world?" I dramatically lament.

"If you hadn't done it in the first place. This wouldn't have happened" frowns Ingrid.

"Can we not talk about that now? Seems like 99% of my conversations are about this same thing, and it's getting pretty tiring" I rant frustrated. "Tell me, how was your mission?" I ask her.

"Nothing special. Defeated a group of bandits says Ingrid while eating "I heard you had to battle Lord Lonato himself."

"Yep, but we had Catherine on our side; so, victory was fairly easy. Have you seen Ashe though? He seemed fairly sad."

"I recall seeing him pray in the church."

"That makes sense, probably giving his last words to Lonato. Were you praying too?" I ask her.

"No actually. I was picking some letters that my father sent me" she responds.

"Ah, your father is Lord Galatea, right? That was… north-east of Faerghus" I assert confidently.

"Wow, I'm surprised you know all of that. I don't remember telling you" says Ingrid.

"That's what reading every night at the library gives to you" I smirk "Are you the inheritor of the title though?"

"Yes. I am the only one with a crest in my immediate family."

"So, the oldest kid with a crest gets to inherit the titles, interesting" I comment.

"Yes. My father sees me as the only hope for my family. Although we are noble, we aren't that wealthy. He sees my crest as a way of restoring the family's fortune" she says as her eyes drift away.

Oh, wow that took a serious turn. Then again, we are in the medieval time, I'm surprised she is not already engaged. I better change the subject though.

"Hey, Ingrid" I catch her attention "How the hell do you fight with hair that long? Doesn't it slow you down?"

"I've never given it much thought…" admits Ingrid.

"Interesting. Maybe I should let my hair grow as well…" I think out loud. I mean, I don't know if there are hairdressers here, and I don't trust myself cutting my own hair.

"You with long hair? I can't seem to be able to imagine that. When I first met you, you barely had hair! chuckles Ingrid.

It's true. I had my hair shaven before coming here. Now I have it a little bit longer but still short, nonetheless. It doesn't even reach my ears.

"Fair enough" I conclude.

As I finish my plate, I get up "Well I'm gonna go to sleep now. Do you want to spar tomorrow? I need some experience fighting against lance users" I ask her.

"That sounds like a good plan" she smiles. Seems I was successful in lightening the mood.

"See you tomorrow then" I say before leaving.

Well, this was a busy day. Excluding the fact that I killed three people, I think I've gained important information on Edelgard. Not gonna lie, I'm a bit worried. I hope that Edelgard doesn't do anything crazy. On the other hand, it might be a red herring the game threw out. Maybe Claude manipulates us all into war; now that would be a twist. The only thing I have clear is that I'm not taking sides unless there is an evil side that needs to be defeated (which I doubt). If this is like Fates, the game will be much more morally grey than say Awakening, where there is an evil god to be defeated. Then we also have the fact that someone wants me dead, which honestly is the thing that I should be worrying most right now.

Summarising, I'm alone, confused and in danger.

Ah, the wonders of the Fire Emblem world.

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**Another day, another chapter. This one was hard to write, was left short of ideas, but I believe that my writing is getting better; so that's good.**

**Not much to say honestly, so thanks for reviewing and following!**


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